United Patients Alliance's Campaign for Grow Your Own

According to our Patient Survey in 2016, around 10% of cannabis patients choose to Grow and produce their own cannabis medicine for a variety of reasons as highlighted below. United Patient Alliance believe ALL patients deserve to have the medicine they need in the way that they feel works best for them and we support ALL patients, which is why we support the Right to Grow Your Own #letusgrow

We are particularly proud to have lobbied successfully to have the decriminalisation of Grow Your Own added to the APPG for Drug Law Reform recommendations from their Inquiry into Medical Cannabis which our #UPASurvey was a part and was delivered to the Prime Minister's Office,

Patients should have the right not only to consume, but to grow cannabis for medical reasons.

Here are a few good reasons why..

• Allowing patients to grow saves money for both the patient AND the NHS

• Patients should not have to alter their medication to a more expensive and possibly less effective source

• Prohibition has taught self-sufficiency. Many patients are already growing high quality medicinal cannabis for personal use and should not be criminalised for doing so.

• Growing plants is a therapeutic and rewarding activity and patients can easily breed strains of cannabis that are better suited to their specific medical condition

• Whilst we appreciate commercial grows and the sale of cannabis should be regulated, a patient growing for themselves shouldn't need to be

We do not fight for cannabis. We fight for the right to be well.

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Cultivation Around the World – Today

There are many countries around the world where the cultivation of medical cannabis for personal use is legal. The list is always growing.

Australia, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Jamaica, Mexico, Uruguay and many US States

There are many more right here in Europe too, perhaps most notably in Spain where drug laws cannot reach into homes and other privately-owned spaces, the reach of the state’s drug policy is limited to public spaces only.

A few examples of EU Policies:

Germany

• The largest federally legal medical cannabis market in the world

• German medicines agency produced a monograph on cannabis for the German Pharmacopoeia.

• Issuing licences for companies to grow medical grade cannabis for patients

• Cannabis will be used to treat over 60 conditions, and health insurance companies are onboard

Italy

• medical cannabis is available for any doctor to prescribe to any patient.

• Cannabis is currently cultivated by the Italian Army

• Government to award cultivation licences to companies who specialise in growing cannabis

Netherlands

• medical cannabis is legal for doctors to prescribe to patients.

• Europe’s leading medical cannabis cultivator is based in the north of the country

• cannabis is shipped from the Netherlands to a number of countries around Europe.

Czech Republic

• there are a number of licensed medical cannabis cultivators who are producing cannabis

Why Grow Your Own Medicine in the UK

It is illegal to grow any amount of cannabis (of any kind) in the UK without a license from the Home Office

BUT

It’s a really nice plant and good for the planet, your garden and your health!

• It's Easy to grow - quite hard to kill actually - it's nickname is "Weed" afterall!

• Cannabis smells lovely when it flowers - though this can be a matter of opinion

• Growing Cannabis improves the soil quality in which it grows

• Seeds are highly nutritious and birds love them

Quality

• You can prevent the use of pesticides and other contaminants

• You can avoid Fungus or mold

• You can achieve consistency in cannabinoid strength and terpene profile

Supply and Strain Preference/Choice

• 90% of Street Cannabis is a single product strength, balance, type – not so good for 90% of patients

• A range of strains is most optimal for any condition requiring different needs, especially at different times.

• Running out of medicine is not good when it is the only effective treatment for your condition

• You will not be funding criminal organisations and activity through your need for effective medicine.

Cost

• Average street prices are about £20 for 1.4g of cheese or skunk or whatever with whatever on it

• LEDs are making indoor growing far cheaper on electricity

• Eg: for MS Patient (Sativex, price stays the same) £30000 For GYO £5000

Impact of Prohibition

• Feminised Seeds/Auto-Flowering Seeds both impact the stability of the genetics and are the result of an illegal market

• Lights in a Tent/Basement vs Sunshine (Ok, it is the UK)!

• Vietnamese Children to Work in Illegal Operations

• Very High THC and very low CBD, auto-flowering feminised strains increasingly popular

• Easier, Cheaper, more bang for your buck,

• Popular amongst recreational consumers

• Popular amongst chronic pain sufferers

• And anxiety sufferers, and Parkinsons, and other forms of epilepsy, and Nausea and Vomiting

Potential Regulations to keep an eye on

• Limits on Strength and/or THC/CBD balance

• Plant Limits

• Patients help to determine fair amounts for personal use

Recommended Growing Books

Growing Guides