‘I’ve never taken drugs or drunk alcohol,’ says Zack Polanski | Zack Polanski
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, said that he has never used drugs in his life and “doesn’t even drink alcohol”, but he wants to legalize all drugs and regulate their use.
Polanski made the admission during an appearance on the BBC’s show with Laura Kuenssberg, broadcast on Sunday, when he was asked whether he had used drugs at university. “I’ve never actually done drugs in my life, or even drank alcohol, and yet I’m not sitting here as the entertainment police,” he said.
“I very clearly believe that people should be able to do what they want to do. This wasn’t for me.”
He told Kuenssberg that politicians who admit to using drugs and then advocate imprisoning drug users are taking a “hypocritical approach” when a “public health approach” is needed to prevent deaths.
“This is about legalization and regulation. If someone has a problematic relationship with drugs, then the answer is certainly to have them seen by a medical professional who can help them,” Polanski said.
Keir Starmer, who previously said that he “worked hard and played hard” at university in response to questions about his drug use at university, accused the Green party of being “obsessed with drugs and soft on Putin” during the prime minister’s questions last Wednesday.
London Assembly member Polanski said it was “pretty embarrassing” to hear Starmer “make cheap jokes poorly delivered” about drug use and that joking about Putin and Russia was also “pretty despicable”, especially when he wasn’t in the House of Commons to defend his party.
He said illegal drug use was “so racist” that innocent young black people were much more likely to be stopped and searched for drugs than their white peers. “We have had ministers from both the Labor and Conservative governments who are openly on the record as using drugs, yet they are jailing people who are using drugs, and often it is disproportionately young black and brown people.”
He initially dodged the question of whether legalizing class A drugs, including heroin and cocaine, would send a message to young people that dangerous drug use is okay, telling Kuenssberg: “First of all, we can talk about alcohol, which can sometimes be one of the most dangerous drugs, and we actually need a public health approach on that too.”
When asked to answer the question, he said: “I think the danger is happening now, so we are pushing it. [dangerous drug use] to street corners and the black market… The war on drugs is not working. It actually makes drugs more dangerous.
“What we need is adult conversation, taking a public health approach that is evidence-based, looks at prevention and intervention, and then ensures people can get the support they need.”
Asked if he had quit drinking on principle, he said: “Not at all. I grew up in a school where many of my friends drank and even did drugs. And I often felt that one had to be sober.”
Earlier in the interview, he told Kuenssberg that a surprising fact about himself was that he used to breakdance. “I always loved dancing without drinking or using drugs,” he added. “If someone wants to do it and they’re doing it safely, I’m really glad people are having a good time, but we know a lot of people aren’t doing it safely, so let’s make sure they get the support they need.”
