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Labor Preferences Legalise Cannabis Ahead of the Greens

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Labor is recommending its voters put Legalise Cannabis Queensland (LCQ) second in all but one of the seats that the minor party is running in this State election. The ALP has put LCQ ahead of the Greens in 28 of the 29 seats LCQ is contesting, including the electorates of Premier Steven Miles, Police Minister Mark Ryan and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, the Party's how-to-vote cards show. 

Legalise Cannabis Party National Secretary Craig Ellis said he was "pleased that Labor has preferenced us before the Greens and other minor parties" and his Party would preference Labor before the LNP.

Asked about Labor preferencing LCQ, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said her Party recommended preferencing LCQ and the Greens because they were pro-choice. Labor preferences the Greens in 59 electorates and Independents in five seats. Asked if the Labor Party shared the LCQ's prerogative to 'decriminalise' cannabis for personal use, Ms Fentiman said no.

Griffith University political commentator Paul Williams said preferencing LCQ showed 'the gloves are off' between Labor and the Greens. It's 'particularly strategic' in seats with a three-way contest between the ALP, LNP and Greens where Labor gets no benefit from Greens preferences, he said. 

There, even the small percentage of the votes LCQ picks up could be enough to give Labor a boost. "The LCQ will attract maybe up to 5% in some seats, in the seats where it's very close Labor may in fact benefit from those few hundred or so Legalise Cannabis preferences".

It was also a 'significant' development for LCQ, which almost unseated Pauline Hanson in the 2020 Senate race after securing nearly 5% of the vote, he said. "In Queensland, this is the most prestige or esteem it has received from a major party" Dr Williams said. "It's certainly a precedent in Queensland".

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19 October, 2024