General Election 2015: Northern Ireland party to show pro-marijuana broadcast

The Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol party will be showcasing their policies in their first ever election broadcast, to be shown in Northern Ireland

Unsurprisingly, the party advocates that British drugs laws should be relaxed and cannabis legalised (Getty Images)

A party political broadcast outlining the benefits of cannabis use is set to be screened on 23 April.

The Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol party will be showcasing their policies in their first ever election broadcast, to be shown in Northern Ireland.

The broadcast tells viewers: “Most people in Britain believe current drugs policy put vulnerable people at unnecessary risk. The war on drugs has become a war on people who suffer from a chronic pain condition.”

The party, which advocates that British drugs laws should be relaxed and cannabis legalised, is calling for a royal commission on British drugs laws and for a change in societal attitudes towards cannabis use. They are seeking to establish a regulated industry in which the substance can be safely sold.

They are fielding 32 candidates around the UK. Four of these candidates will be standing in Northern Irish constituencies, making the party eligible for a party political broadcast in the region.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson has criticised broadcasting regulators for allowing the video to be shown. He said: "It shows how ludicrous electoral law and the role of broadcasters has become when we get cranks being given airtime for that.”

The five minute clip is to be broadcast this evening on the regional arm of ITV. It will be shown at 22:30 between ITV news and the channel’s weather forecast.