Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol

Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol (CISTA) was a political party in the United Kingdom, which advocated the legalisation of cannabis.

Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol
AbbreviationCISTA
ChairpersonPaul Birch[1]
FoundedFebruary 2015
DissolvedNovember 2016
IdeologyCannabis legalisation
Website
cista.org
Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance
ChairpersonBarry Brown[2]
Founded2017
IdeologyCannabis legalisation

The party was launched in February 2015.[3] The party fielded candidates in the 2015 general election, campaigning for a Royal Commission to review the UK's drug laws relating to cannabis and to push the economic argument for legalisation, which it argued could generate £900 million in taxation.[4] None of the candidates won a seat.

The party was deregistered by the Electoral Commission on 3 November 2016.[5] Former members of the party from Northern Ireland registered a new party with the same initials, Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance, in February 2017 to contest the 2017 Assembly election.[2]

Electoral performance

General election, 7 May 2015

The party contested 32 constituencies, with its largest share of the vote coming in East Londonderry with 527 (1.5%).

ConstituencyCandidateVotes %
Bethnal Green & BowJonathan Dewey3030.5
Camberwell & PeckhamAlexander Robertson1970.4
Cities of London & WestminsterEdouard-Henri Desforges1600.4
Dundee, ELesley Parker-Hamilton2250.5
East LondonderryNeil Paine5271.5
EddisburyGeorge Antar3010.6
Esher & WaltonMatt Heenan3960.7
Glasgow, CentralJames Marris1710.4
Glasgow, NRussell Benson1540.4
Glasgow, NEGeoff Johnson2250.6
Glasgow, NWChris MacKenzie2130.5
Great YarmouthSam Townley1670.4
GuildfordGerri Smyth1960.4
Hackney, S & ShoreditchPaul Birch2970.6
Holborn & St PancrasShane O'Donnell2520.5
InverclydeCraig Hamilton2330.5
Islington, S & FinsburyJay Kirton3090.7
KensingtonTony Auguste2110.6
Leeds, WMatthew West2170.6
North DownGlenn Donnelly3380.9
Paisley & Renfrewshire, NAndy Doyle2020.4
Rutherglen & Hamilton, WYvonne Maclean3360.6
Sheffield, SEJen Battersby2070.5
Stoke-on-Trent, CentralAli Majid2440.8
StreathamArtificial Beast1920.4
ThurrockJamie Barnes2440.5
Upper BannMartin Kelly4601.0
Vale of GlamorganSteve Reed2380.5
VauxhallLouis Jensen1640.3
WakefieldElliot Barr2830.7
West TyroneBarry Brown5281.4
WokingDeclan Wade2290.4

Source: BBC News Election 2015[6]

London mayoral election, 5 May 2016

Lee Harris stood for CISTA in the 2016 London Mayoral election. He finished ninth out of twelve candidates, obtaining 20,537 first-round votes (0.8%).[7]

Northern Ireland Assembly election, 5 May 2016

The party contested four of the 18 constituencies, with its largest share of the vote in any election that the party had contested coming in Newry and Armagh with 2.2% (1,032 first-preference votes).[8]

ConstituencyCandidateFirst-preference votes %
FoyleJohn Lindsay2590.7
Newry and ArmaghEmmet Crossan1,0322.2
Upper BannMartin Kelly6721.5
West TyroneBarry Brown5471.4

Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance

Following the de-registering of Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol in November 2016,[5] a new party bearing the same initials, Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance, was registered with the Electoral Commission in February 2017,[2] one week before the close of nominations for the snap elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The leader of this new party is Barry Brown, who was a CISTA candidate in 2016 and 2017.

Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2 March 2017

The party contested three of the 18 constituencies, with its largest share of the vote coming in Newry and Armagh with 704 first-preference votes (1.3%).

ConstituencyCandidateFirst-preference votes %
FoyleJohn Lindsay[9]1960.4
Newry and ArmaghEmmet Crossan[10]7041.3
West TyroneBarry Brown[11]3730.8

2017 United Kingdom general election
ConstituencyCandidateVotes %Position
West TyroneBarry Brown3930.97[12]

See also

References
  1. "Interview: Paul Birch, founder of UK party for a review into cannabis law". The Mancunian. 14 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  2. "Registration - Citizens Independent Social Thought Alliance". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  3. Lamiat Sabin, "Cannabis party called Cista launched in UK to campaign for drug law reform ahead of elections", The Independent, 14 February 2015
  4. "New UK political party wants to make cannabis an election issue". The Guardian. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  5. Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol [De-registered 03/11/16]. The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  6. BBC News Election 2015. Results for Bethnal Green & Bow, Camberwell & Peckham, Cities of London & Westminster, Dundee East, East Londonderry, Eddisbury, Esher & Walton, Glasgow Central, Glasgow North, Glasgow North East, Glasgow North West, Great Yarmouth, Guildford, Hackney South & Shoreditch, Holborn & St Pancras, Inverclyde, Islington South & Finsbury, Kensington, Leeds West, North Down, Paisley & Renfrewshire, N, Rutherglen & Hamilton West, Sheffield South East, Stoke-on-Trent Central, Streatham, Thurrock, Upper Bann, Vale of Glamorgan , Vauxhall, Wakefield, West Tyrone, Woking
  7. "Politics Live: Election results coverage". BBC News. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  8. "NI Election 2016: Results". BBC News. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  9. Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED Foyle
  10. Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED Newry and Armagh
  11. Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED West Tyrone
  12. "Election 2017: West Tyrone", BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2017
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