Victorians are heading to the polls again for the Victorian State Election in November. Your current serving member Rachel Payne will recontest in the South-East of Victoria, and if you are interested in joining Rachel and being a candidate we would love to hear from you click here!

Our Work is Not Done

Cannabis laws in Victoria are woefully outdated. Our sitting MPs Rachel Payne and David Ettershank have worked tirelessly, and while we’ve had some wins, too many Victorians are still getting arrested for no good reason. Law reform is happening, but it’s slow and frustrating. It doesn’t make any sense! As former supervising magistrate of the Victorian Drug Court, Tony Parsons said:

"Cannabis law reform is the holy trinity of good policy: It's the right thing to do. It's backed by evidence. It enjoys broad community support.”

Despite the evidence, the Victorian Liberals are nowhere on cannabis, and Labor has not had the courage to do what they know to be right. Their own Members voted (again) at the Labor State Party Conference a few weeks ago to legalise weed but still, the Government says, “now is not the time”. When is the time!? Labor Members know what we know – the prohibition of cannabis is a massive policy failure. After almost 100 years of prohibition, we know that it is a waste of time, money and police and court resources; it targets the most vulnerable and, it takes away the rights of adults to consume a substance that is not only far less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes, but which actually helps many.

Momentum is Building

Cannabis is being decriminalised and legalised all over the world. A shift is happening. Gains have been made in Australia. Here in Victoria, our MPs have achieved meaningful changes to driving laws, and we now have a police force that has moved to cautioning and not arresting (caution for minor possession is now police policy, but we’re working on making it legislation too). When we arrived in parliament, we got all the usual jokes about stoners and couch potatoes and now, almost 4 years later, MPs are talking about THC v CBD, and presence v impairment. We have shifted the dial and will continue to pressure the Government to do more. 

But to do this, we need to get elected again. 

Running an election campaign costs money, and unlike other parties, we do not have donations of private jets and $10,000 dinners!  We raise election campaign funds the grass-roots way – through community events and small donations. Earlier this month LCV held a Gala Variety Night at Melbourne’s iconic Howler to do just that. 

The Show

Toke the Vote featured brilliant performances from talented acts who either donated their time completely or, did it at cost. THANK YOU! Most political events are a bore - not ours! We had comedians, drag artists, story-tellers, musicians and even a tap-dancer. 

A huge thank you to:

• DJ Verified Bangerz
• Gummy Mummy Margee Glover
• Indie Rock Duo The Peppermints
• Iconic Drag Legend Polly Filla
• Drag King Party Boy Justin Teliqure
• Story-teller and the First Lady of Cannabis, Renee Thompson
• Writer, photographer and tap dancer Bill Simpson
• Comedian Nelly Thomas

And last but not least

• Legalise Cannabis Party MP for the South-Eastern Metro in Victorian Parliament, Rachel Payne

All performers are cannabis consumers – some recreationally, some medicinally, and others who don’t make the distinction. A brilliant time was had by all, and it was actually very moving to be in a room with community.  The night was SOLD OUT and we are thrilled to announce that we raised over $10,000. To the major parties this is a drop in the ocean, but to us it means a lot, and we are so grateful to everyone who came and showed their support. 

Some of you were not able to attend but want to donate – you can do that HERE. 

Every. Single. Dollar. Counts.

We cannot get elected without your support