'I went to Green Party-themed rave where Zack Polanski got on stage - and asked partygoers about drugs'

'I went to Green Party-themed rave where Zack Polanski got on stage - and asked partygoers about drugs' Revellers in leather dog masks and full green body paint were among the crowd at the Green Party's unofficial rave, which saw leader Zack Polanski deliver a speech about 'London turning green' A Green Party-themed rave with Zack Polanski on stage and the faint aroma of 'herbal substances' wafting through the smoking area - it's either your personal idea of heaven, or very much the opposite. But in any case, it seems an appropriate setting to talk about drugs policy. Many eyebrows have been raised about the Greens' commitment to full legalisation and regulation of all substances in recent times, with pressure increasing on party bosses to ditch or water down the policy to help broaden their support among sceptical voters. When the Mirror turned up to the 'Green Party party', an East London event put on by a company separate from the official machinery, most revellers spoke in defence of drugs legalisation or decriminalisation - though there were a range of views on offer. Sophie, 24, said: "I think it's a great policy", and her friend Andi, 25, added: "I agree as well. I think if you've been to enough raves, you know that if people want to do drugs, they're going to do drugs. "It's better for it to be safe, and it's been proven in places like Portugal that these policies do work, and it's harm reduction, which is important. Less people will die. People won't have to hide that they're doing drugs. There can be easier ways to test themselves and they could dose safely, because if they're going to dose, they should do it safely." Mac Cox, who told us he had studied drugs legislation, said: "Many drugs, like the classical psychedelics - ketamine, MDMA - are a lot safer than alcohol. Things like cocaine, methamphetamine are much more dangerous. So, I wouldn't want free availability, but I also don't want people going to jail for making mistakes, or trying to survive a difficult life." Asked whether he'd support possession of harder substances either being made legal or no longer a criminal offence, he said: "I don't think crack and heroin are good things. We should limit the use as much as possible. I don't think criminalisation is the best way to limit use, but I probably think we should limit use and be creative and ambitious in the ways that we try and do that rather than an incredibly simplistic 'thing bad, make illegal, punish people.'" And Jasmine added: "My personal belief is that I am pro-decriminalisation of everything. Because I feel like overwhelmingly, like, crack and meth are introduced into very low-income communities, especially the ones where people target people from social and racial backgrounds as well." Others were less enthusiastic about the proposal, and one partygoer, Deyva, said: "I personally don't really resonate with that. I don't think that drugs are safe, and I don't think it should be a normalised thing that people expect that anyone who goes to a club to be participating in that. "Choice is important, but I don't think it should legalised. I feel like that would open the floodgates to more people who use more dangerous types of drugs". The crunch Makerfield by-election also came up in conversation, with Green supporters flatly rejecting suggestions that the party should step aside to avoid splitting the left vote - even amid warnings it giving Reform a better chance of winning. Katie Coles, 25, who was handing out pamphlets for the Women Against The Far Right group, told us: "Look, if Andy Burnham came out with anti-racist messages, pro-Palestine, anti-austerity, then I'd probably feel a bit different towards it... But he hasn't. "He's capitulated on every one of those things, including trans rights, by the way. So to be honest, no. If I was there, I wouldn't willingly give my vote to Andy Burnham. I want to see an alternative. "It's an excuse you could use up and down the country, and I think it's just really patronises people to say something along the lines of 'you're letting in Reform' if you vote something you actually believe in. Though I wouldn't punish anyone for voting Labour, because obviously I think Reform are a far-right racist party." The party itself saw an eclectic mix of DJs and performers take to the stage, including garage artist Badger, while outfits worn by revellers included leather leather dog masks and full green face and body paint. About three hours in, an energetic and slightly breathless Zack Polanski dashed out to deliver an impromptu speech between sets. With a remixed version of 'Rhythm of the Night' as a musical backdrop, he asked his supporters if they "ready to make hope normal again", hailing recent local election results as proof that was "London turning Green, from Hackney to Lewisham to Newham" before introducing the next act, Bimini of Drag Race UK fame. Polls suggest the Greens are having something of a moment in the 18-25 demographic, including support as high as 40% among young women in one Ipsos survey. Recent council elections suggest that this corner of the world is emerging as one of its strongholds, with East London joining the likes of Bristol and Brighton, where the party has had an MP for the last 16 years. But some of the original flock are keen that the previous focus on climate change doesn't get lost amid the turn towards a more populist message. Veteran supporter and leafleteer Ed, 83, said the main difference between now and when he first joined the party in the 2000s was that it had "grown in confidence", going on to warn: "We take it for granted that people know we're about saving the planet - but we still need to be saying it."