On Tuesday, 2nd September 2025, the Green Party of England and Wales announced the results of its internal elections, with Zack Polanski becoming the new leader of the eco-focused party.
Polanski’s win was compelling; he was elected the new leader with the largest ever number of votes in a Green Party leadership race. His success stems from his adoption of a social first form of loud and direct campaigning on hot topic issues – from billionaire tax evasion to the poor health of the country’s water – that he has dubbed eco-populism; a left-wing answer to the style of campaigning and messaging that has seen Nigel Farage rise in popularity.
This new messaging represents a shift in approach for the Greens, who have previously achieved small but significant wins by campaigning on local issues and adopting a cautious decorum in their communication. With a new leadership that’s willing to be louder, ambitious and more combative, the party is winning more screen time and column inches than ever before.
Why the Greens matter to cannabis
It’s no secret that the Green Party is the most progressive party when it comes to drug policy in the UK. For years, it has championed a harm reduction approach to drugs, supporting legalisation and regulated markets. However, until now, its impact has been limited by the draconian first-past-the-post electoral system used to elect Members of Parliament (MPs) to Westminster.
Polanski’s win comes at a time of triumph for the Greens. In the 2024 General Election, four Green MPs won seats in the House of Commons, and they have a record number of serving councillors across England and Wales. The new leader takes charge of a party on the ascendancy during a time of political change in the UK, as people shift away from the old guard of Labour and the Conservatives. While one man can not legislate alone, a change in leadership style to deliberate, higher profile messaging and a willingness to campaign on bold, culture-facing issues can see the Greens win hearts and minds rather than simply offering opinions. For many cannabis consumers in the UK who care about the risk of criminality, social injustice or the lack of access for patients who need it most, legal reform can be a vote-winning issue.
Zack Polanski’s views on cannabis
Polanski has been clear in his election campaign that he supports full cannabis legalisation, not just decriminalisation or police discretion. As a member of the London Assembly, he supported the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, in calls for a pilot decriminalisation trial in the capital. But importantly, his support goes beyond mere police discretion around low-level possession. Decriminalisation can be applied inconsistently and leaves the illicit market intact. Full legalisation, by contrast, contemplates regulated supply, taxation, product safety controls and routes for businesses and patients to operate without fear of criminal sanctions. Decriminalisation might look attractive against the status quo, but it leaves the door open for opponents to pick apart the shortcomings.
@itvpolitics @DennyTheJourno asks @The Green Party leadership hopeful Zack Polanski what he’d do about cannabis #politics @itvnews
Polanski’s framing is pragmatic rather than utopian. He argues for legalisation as part of a broader economic and social-justice platform: reduce criminal justice harm, undercut organised crime, create accountable local businesses and free police time for serious offences. That link, tying cannabis policy to community safety, public health and local economies, is politically smart. It reframes legalisation away from tired stereotypes and towards common ground that even centrist voters can get behind.
Shifting the cannabis narrative
The next general election in the UK isn’t due until 2029, but electoral influence doesn’t happen in one day, and laws aren’t made by the Prime Minister alone. Smaller parties can shift political policy by changing narratives, winning local power and becoming a noisy inconvenience for whoever is in charge. In Polanski, the Greens now have a leader who is happy to adopt a more aggressive communications strategy. He’s already signalled his willingness to take the fight to not just Labour but Reform, and it’s a strategy that’s already working, judging by the positive and negative coverage that immediately followed his win.
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Zack Polanski’s leadership doesn’t guarantee sweeping change overnight, but if he continues to apply his bold approach to communication, then it’s plausible that progressive drug reform will become more of a focus. Public opinion on cannabis in the UK has been shifting for years; younger voters are markedly more comfortable with law change, and this new approach to communication is already attracting more attention from the press. By shifting how the media frames cannabis, arguing for a regulated and safety-focused approach, The Greens under Polanski can accelerate the normalisation of legalisation as a legitimate policy option.
If you care about cannabis reform, Polanski’s victory is worth a careful, hopeful watch. It’s not a guaranteed fast-track to legal weed in the UK, but it is an important step in the slow work of changing policy, public perception and winning votes. For a movement that has for years campaigned against the political will, a louder, smarter Green Party might be the amplification the cannabis community needs.
