Manifesto week – The Green Party

The Green Party published their manifesto today – Real Hope, Real Change. It’s available in various formats – I read the ‘long draft’. Here is my summary of the document from the perspective of drug and alcohol policy commitments only. As I’ve been doing with the others – offered without a view. You might be keen to read more – or alternatively be fully satiated with this missive.

For full transparency – I do live in the country’s only Green Constituency and have at times voted Green in both local and national elections.

They are committed to making ‘public health a cross departmental priority’.

Alcohol is only mentioned in passing a couple of times and one of them is by implication – through exempting Pubs from VAT and making greater use of diversion for ‘low level’ alcohol related crime.

In terms of drugs – this issue features more prominently than in the other manifestos that I have read so far (Conservative, Lib-Dems, Reform, Workers Party) – and in the introduction they are committed to establishing a National Commission into Drug Laws with a view towards decriminalising personal possession of drugs, establishing a regulated market and embedding harm reduction. They also imply that this will help restrict young people’s access to drugs.

Interestingly whilst there is a focus on (social) house building I didn’t see any reference to rough sleeping.

Tomorrow its the Labour Party and I’ll also look for SNP and Plaid.