POLITICAL PARTY
LEGAL MARIJUANA NOW
LEGAL MARIJUANA NOW Party Constitution NOVEMBER 2014 amended JUNE 2019
I. Name: The name of this organization is the Legal Marijuana Now Party. The Party name may be changed by majority vote of The Head Council but this first requires a petition-nominated candidate for office, using any variation of the name, to receive more than 1% of the statewide vote in a Minnesota general election.
II. Purpose: The Legal Marijuana Now Party is an independent political party dedicated to the principles of freedom and justice, and established for the purpose of ending Cannabis prohibition in particular and the police-state policies of the so-called war on drugs in general. Our goal is to restore Constitutional government and respect for civil liberties, including the right to plant, grow, harvest, process, and possess Cannabis for all of its many uses. Additionally, we seek full and unconditional pardons for all persons who have been convicted for violations of local, state, or federal anti-Cannabis laws, and restitution for seized or forfeited property.
III. Platform: The permanent platform of the party is the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, and Article I, Sec. 1-17 of the Minnesota Constitution, the state Bill of Rights, also including Article XIII, Section 7.
IV. Membership:
1. Membership in the party shall be granted upon approval of application for membership along with payment of annual dues in an amount to be set by The Head Council.
2. Members will be classified in graduated levels with corresponding duties and responsibilities, to be defined by The Head Council.
3. New members will be known simply as members.
4. Members of one years participation may be promoted to cadre status. Founding convention members will automatically be awarded Cadre status.
5. Members of three consecutive years participation may be promoted to senior status. Veterans of the 1998 Legal Marijuana Now campaign will automatically be awarded Senior status.
V. Organization:
1. Members shall elect the following officers at the party’s annual convention: Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. One person may hold two of those offices at the same time but no one shall hold more than two. Only Cadre or Senior members may be chosen as officers. Officer resignations may be temporarily filled by vote of the THC.
2. All decisions on important organizational and financial subjects, including candidate endorsements, must be reached by The Head Council, which consists of the Officers and Senior members, consisting of no more than 9 persons, and in any case being an odd number. Decisions must be made by a majority vote. If the number of seniors exceeds the available positions on THC, then the council positions will be assigned by seniority of membership. However, a more senior member may voluntarily yield his or her place to a less senior member.
3. When it becomes feasible, the Party may authorize the creation of subdivisions assigned to Congressional Districts or Legislative Districts or Counties. These subdivisions would require a minimum of 10 dues-paying members and three Cadres.
4. The party shall encourage the formation of action units consisting of five or six members of any status level. These action units shall by consensus choose a leader to act as liaison to THC or its delegated representative.
5. The Treasurer will be responsible for filing reports with the appropriate state agency which oversees political contributions and expenditures. The Treasurer will keep the books for the party and will maintain a bank account and if necessary see to the payment of any taxes or fines which the party is liable for.
6. The Chairperson shall convene and conduct meetings both of the general membership and of THC. The Chairperson shall oversee any website or other electronic presence of the party or may delegate this function to another person.
7. The Secretary shall keep a minute of meetings of the general membership and of THC and this record shall be safely preserved. The Secretary shall report party events and activities to the membership, or may delegate this function to another person, subject to approval by THC. The Secretary shall keep an archive of documents, correspondence, brochures, or other material generated by the party and its candidates; or may delegate this function to another person, subject to approval by THC.
8. Other officers may be established, upon approval by a two-thirds vote of members attending the annual convention.
9. A quorum for action by THC shall be no less than five if the full number of nine members belong; if there are fewer members then a quorum shall number four.
10. A quorum for the annual convention shall be one-fifth of the dues-paying membership but must include a THC quorum as well. However, only those members whose dues have been paid at least one week in advance of the convention shall be eligible to vote in the convention.
11. An annual convention shall be held upon call of the Chairperson. If the party loses statutory Major Party recognition, a convention shall be called to suspend this Constitution and revise it to conform to that altered set of circumstances.
VI. Security:
1. The Party authorizes no activity in its name and on its behalf, other than nonviolent, First-Amendment protected exercise of the rights of free speech, free press, free exercise of religion, freedom of assembly and of petitioning for redress of grievances.
2. Anyone whose activities or presence in the organization appears to conflict with the first clause of this section may be suspended or expelled from membership. This clause applies, inter alia, to any person who is a law enforcement officer, agent, or informant who conceals his or her identity or employment; or anyone else whose conduct may otherwise disrupt or discredit the party’s work.
3. Discipline or expulsion of members shall be recommended by the membership committee and acted upon by THC within one week thereafter, provided that the affected member or members are given a fair opportunity to reply to any allegations.
VII. Electoral activity: The Party shall use its resources to promote the cause of Cannabis re-legalization and Cannabis policy reform in election campaigns whenever the opportunity may arise. First priority should go to waging campaigns under the party’s own name, but members are also encouraged to volunteer in support of pro-Cannabis-reform candidates of other parties, should any such candidates appear.
VIII. Amendment: This document may be amended by unanimous vote of the entire THC at any time, or by a two-thirds vote of the members attending the annual convention, except as specified in Article I respecting the party’s official name.
Prepared & paid for by the Legal Marijuana Now 9641 Garfield Ave S, #20321 Mpls. MN 55420. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.