A newly formed group called Legalise Marijuana has pulled its application to become a registered political party in Victoria, following a formal challenge lodged by Legalise Cannabis Victoria (LCV).
The withdrawal followed LCV campaign advisor Craig Ellis writing to the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) to contest the application, in which he argued the move was an "egregious attempt" to draw votes away from LCV ahead of the upcoming state election.
Ellis contended that the proposed name so closely mirrored LCV's own that voters were likely to confuse the two, pointing out that the terms 'cannabis' and 'marijuana' are used interchangeably and that the names "overwhelmingly resemble each other".
"There is no material differentiating elements in the name Legalise Marijuana Party to Legalise Cannabis Victoria," he wrote. "We regard the attempt to register the Legalise Marijuana Party as an egregious case of passing off designed to confuse voters to siphon votes away from Legalise Cannabis."
The VEC confirmed this week that the new party — whose backers and platform have never been made clear — has since withdrawn its registration application.
Under VEC rules, any party seeking registration must submit a membership list of at least 500 people. The commission then contacts those listed, and at least 500 must respond to confirm their membership before registration can be finalised.
The rules also specify that a proposed party name "must not be the name, or confusingly similar to the name, of another registered political party".
