Green Party Drug Policy

02/09/2026

Psychedelic-assisted therapy was raised in Parliament today, with calls for greater government support for research into its potential for mental health treatment.

It comes just weeks after promising results from the first publicly funded UK randomised controlled trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression.

The NIHR-funded PsiDeR trial found significantly greater improvements in depression symptoms with psilocybin-assisted therapy compared with placebo. At six weeks, 50% responded to treatment, compared with 3% in the placebo group.

Larger trials are still needed, but research needs to be able to happen. Psilocybin remains a Schedule 1 controlled drug in the UK, creating additional barriers for researchers.

The Green Party has called for public funding for psychedelic research since 2019. Seven years later, that research is showing promise.

Drug policy should be led by evidence, and our laws should evolve alongside it. 🌱

📄 Rucker et al. (2026). Psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder in a public healthcare setting: a randomized controlled trial. Nature Medicine.

PMID: 42562964
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04541-0

19/08/2026

"Banning certain substances simply leads to people turning to the black market and buying drugs of dubious quality.”

That line from this BBC article gets to the heart of one of the biggest problems with prohibition.

Banning a drug doesn't make demand disappear. It can mean handing its production and supply to an unregulated market, where there are no agreed standards, no ingredient lists, no quality control and very little way for people to know what they are actually taking.

And then, when people are harmed by that market, we too often blame **the drug** or **the person using it**, rather than asking whether the system itself is making drug use more dangerous.

Drug policy shouldn't be judged by how tough it sounds. It should be judged by whether it **reduces harm, protects people and saves lives.**

That means being willing to ask an uncomfortable question:

**When prohibition makes an already risky behaviour more dangerous, who exactly is it protecting?**

Source: BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d1lpl9vrxo

08/08/2026

When a child thinks they’re buying cannabis but ends up va**ng Spice, prohibition hasn’t protected them.

A new Guardian investigation highlights a disturbing problem in the UK’s illicit v**e market: young people buying products sold as THC or cannabis v**es may actually be consuming synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as Spice.

Research from the University of Bath found Spice in 13% of 1,923 v**es confiscated from 114 schools in England, rising to around 25% in London and Lancashire. WEDINOS found an even starker picture among products specifically submitted as THC, CBD or cannabis v**es: 39% contained synthetic cannabinoids instead.

Spice is NOT cannabis.

Synthetic cannabinoids can be substantially more unpredictable and dangerous, with serious effects including seizures, psychosis and cardiac arrest.

Yet an unregulated illicit market allows products containing them to be sold to young people as something else entirely.

Researchers have also found these products being openly marketed through social media, making an already dangerous market extraordinarily difficult to control.

We should absolutely be asking how we stop children accessing drugs.

But we also need to ask a harder question: is prohibition actually achieving that?

When we surrender the drug market to organised crime, there are no age restrictions, no product standards, no ingredient labels and no meaningful quality control. People cannot reliably know what they are buying.

The Green Party believes drug policy should be built around evidence, public health, and harm reduction, rather than assuming that criminalisation itself keeps people safe.

Protecting young people means reducing harm in the world as it actually exists. 💚

Read Amy Fleming’s investigation in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/aug/06/psychotic-cardiac-arrest-children-va**ng-prison-drug-spice

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16/07/2026

💚 Congratulations to Bristol on becoming the UK’s newest **City of Harm Reduction**.

This is a landmark moment that recognises what the evidence has been telling us for years: treating drug use as a public health issue saves lives far more effectively than treating it as a criminal justice issue.

A huge congratulations to Cllr Cara Lavan .cara.lavan whose courage, compassion and determination have been instrumental in bringing this motion forward. Cara has transformed personal tragedy into meaningful political action, ensuring that the conversation remains focused on preventing future loss.

Congratulations too to the Bristol Green Party Bristol Green Party whose leadership has helped make Bristol a national example of what evidence-led, compassionate policymaking can look like.

We hope this is just the beginning and that more councils recognise that harm reduction isn’t about being “soft on drugs”- it’s about being serious about saving lives.

Read the article in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/15/bristol-drug-policy-city-of-harm-reduction-greens

15/07/2026

Every time we see another major drug trafficking conviction, the same question should be asked:

**Why is this market still so profitable?**

People are risking years of their lives – and their freedom – to supply a demand that has never disappeared.

For decades, prohibition has created a lucrative criminal marketplace where organised crime thrives, products remain unregulated, and communities bear the consequences.

Harm reduction isn’t just about reducing the risks associated with drug use.

It’s also about reducing the harms created by prohibition itself.

That means asking whether there is a better way.

A legal, regulated market would:
🌿 Take profits away from organised crime.
🌿 Improve product safety and quality.
🌿 Protect young people through age restrictions.
🌿 Generate tax revenue for healthcare, education and treatment.
🌿 Allow police to focus on serious crime instead of an endless cycle of trafficking and arrests.

No policy can eliminate drug use entirely. But we can choose whether this market is controlled by criminal organisations or regulated in the public interest.

It’s time to replace ideology with evidence—and punishment with policies that genuinely reduce harm.

💚 Read through our carousel to learn why regulation is about protecting people, not promoting drug use.

EvidenceBasedPolicy EndTheWarOnDrugs

11/07/2026

Comon' England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 If having a drink this evening, have a great time! But also be aware of your alcohol use! 💚🍻

This week has been Alcohol Awareness Week.
Green Party Alcohol policy - like the rest of our evidence-based policy - is pragmatic and seeks to reduce alcohol harms. We do this whilst championing healthier social drinking and small business.

Alcohol isn't for everyone, it is an individuals choice to make informed decisions about their own body. Be respectful 🙏

If England lose, it's just football, don't be a arse. Take deep breaths and enjoy the rest of your evening 🙌🌙

08/06/2026

The comments section is heartening.

Clearly there is a LOT of support for a legal and regulated market for drugs in the UK.

Of course - it's the safest way forward.

Dr. R.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Kt34CP9pe/

Drug-related deaths continue to rise while Britain doubles down on a failed strategy of prohibition and punishment

08/06/2026

Next Monday we welcome Professor Kojo Koram to speak about his new book -
The Next Fix: Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs.
Please join us!
RSVP by email to receive link.

08/05/2026

Greens Win in Hackney!🎉💚

Congrats , , and on a fantastic result 👏

Zoe, amongst others including our current chair Carrie (pictured in the last photo 📸), wrote our policy in 2019. Links to which are in our bio.

We champion an evidence-based public health approach to substances, which puts our communties first. We're very proud ofnit!

Hackney has just elected a mayor that will make the area Happier, healthier and safer. It is a huge achievement 🙌 a massive win for a better approach to drugs in our society.

It was grand to watch it live! ☺️
politics GDPWG Comms Officer

01/05/2026

New Guardian podcast episode on Hackney Greens today; including excellent responses from our Zoë Garbett on our drug policy, what can be done locally. 👏👏👏

Check it out here:

Podcast Episode · Today in Focus · 1 May · 34min