UK Cannabis: It's medicine if you're rich enough a crime if you're not

Cannabis: it’s medicine if you’re rich enough – a crime if you’re not

The UK recognises cannabis as medicine, but only the wealthy can access it legally.

theconversation.com

 

[TheGreenAvenger]

Certainly not rich, I just manage my money effectively

 

[GreenRed]

Mostly bollocks. My bud bill actually went down since having MC instead of the illegal stuff. Sure if you keep buying the £9 a gram medicine like the article says...

But if street price £150-£200 an ounce means £5.3 - 7.2 per gram, that is easily doable with decent quality MC.

 

[williemed]

Alright then here's my hot take. Flower is ludicrously overpriced in this country both legal and not, and it is my feeling that the only thing truly criminal surrounding any of it is not allowing patients to grow their own. To put it into perspective, as a rough estimate it costs no more than 20 quid an ounce to grow and it's not that hard. So as grateful as I am for legal access, it is progress in a way, at the end of the day the whole thing is a mafia style racket, we are all being taken for a ride, and there is a long way to go before the market or situation resembles anything close to good or fair.

 

[GreenRed]

I don't know about that, man. I mean, sure, it would be great to have the option. But my personal subjective experience is, if I know 100 tokers, 98 of them absolutely do not want to be bothered with growing shit that might or might not turn out half-decent, if.

I am using MC since September and let's say I tried 35-40 strains and about 80% of these strains were quite alright. Compared to about 30 "homegrown" in my 20 years (as in some guy having 1-2 plants in their living space, not even a hobby grow), and 100% of the homegrown was rubbish headache inducing brownish turd leaves.

Am I lucky with MC and seriously unlucky with homegrown? Maybe.

It's great if you grow better than this, and end up with decent bud, love you for it. But I honestly think unless you have sort of a green thumb and are actively interested in growing stuff at all, this is not really a solution for the masses, and in my experience only a minority of people would ever consider bumbling around with stinky plants in their home.

It's like people say grow your own tomatoes and veggies, it's worth it. Yeah sure great idea on paper, but again in my very subjective personal experience, most people are actually like me who would not spend a goddamned minute on messing about in the garden with mud and seeds and plants.

Or I am wrong about everything.

 

[williemed]

I don't know about that, man. I mean, sure, it would be great to have the option. But my personal subjective experience is, if I know 100 tokers, 98 of them absolutely do not want to be bothered with growing shit that might or might not turn out half-decent, if.

I am using MC since September and let's say I tried 35-40 strains and about 80% of these strains were quite alright. Compared to about 30 "homegrown" in my 20 years (as in some guy having 1-2 plants in their living space, not even a hobby grow), and 100% of the homegrown was rubbish headache inducing brownish turd leaves.

Am I lucky with MC and seriously unlucky with homegrown? Maybe.

It's great if you grow better than this, and end up with decent bud, love you for it. But I honestly think unless you have sort of a green thumb and are actively interested in growing stuff at all, this is not really a solution for the masses, and in my experience only a minority of people would ever consider bumbling around with stinky plants in their home.

It's like people say grow your own tomatoes and veggies, it's worth it. Yeah sure great idea on paper, but again in my very subjective personal experience, most people are actually like me who would not spend a goddamned minute on messing about in the garden with mud and seeds and plants.

Or I am wrong about everything.

I feel you mate, I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I do think a lot of people would be surprised just how easy it can be if it was all legal and out in the open

 

[Fiddlesticks]

Is this an argument about private healthcare? The real medical benefits of cannabis? Decriminalisation of recreational cannabis?
Lots of different issues within this country hinted at in the article.
Much is gated behind the issue of "if you have money or not" nowadays and many things are a crime if you do them yourself.
I could take watching a football game on a stream as a recreational example.
If they really cared they would just let medical patients grow 4 plants. I am suspicious of all the noise to enable clinics but little movement towards broader decriminalisation for medical patients.

 

[S.O.H™]

Learning about The World of Plants is interesting and I often find rewarding, full-stop. Might change my name to M.O.N.T.Y.D.O.N™

And, yes this model does feel somewhat elitist (Harley St). I feel priced-out and am currently robbing Peter to pay Paul like many others. However, I work so no criminal activity needed atm. But, if I lost my job, let's say, then the risk has increased tenfold. So, I guess I'm borderline, which isn't great to be honest iiwii yolo

 

[Delta 9]

I don't know about that, man. I mean, sure, it would be great to have the option. But my personal subjective experience is, if I know 100 tokers, 98 of them absolutely do not want to be bothered with growing shit that might or might not turn out half-decent, if.

I am using MC since September and let's say I tried 35-40 strains and about 80% of these strains were quite alright. Compared to about 30 "homegrown" in my 20 years (as in some guy having 1-2 plants in their living space, not even a hobby grow), and 100% of the homegrown was rubbish headache inducing brownish turd leaves.

Am I lucky with MC and seriously unlucky with homegrown? Maybe.

It's great if you grow better than this, and end up with decent bud, love you for it. But I honestly think unless you have sort of a green thumb and are actively interested in growing stuff at all, this is not really a solution for the masses, and in my experience only a minority of people would ever consider bumbling around with stinky plants in their home.

It's like people say grow your own tomatoes and veggies, it's worth it. Yeah sure great idea on paper, but again in my very subjective personal experience, most people are actually like me who would not spend a goddamned minute on messing about in the garden with mud and seeds and plants.

Or I am wrong about everything.

It would be lifesaving for alot of people and even give them a good bit of freedom to do alot of things that cant be done in this cost of living crisis. Financial freedom and community empowerment that was seen in canada and usa where average joe and fringe hippies created what we really see now as medical cannabis industry all born out of homegrows, most legendary strains that we see today were homegrown accidents.

99.9% of tokers worldwide dont grow n thats ok but give the option to the under and working class and not make this a middle class issue that makes people illegally stream football never mind attend or have sky sports. A working class game been took away from them just like the canna game as too much money for it to be available to the masses.

The homegrown that gets sold as cali i would say is over 80% , most mylar bag banging weed on uk market is hgrown but people still see it as brown weed grown by dave when it is a craft industry. The community would thrive and within a year you would see hidden strains like cheese,blues,psycho,rhino,widow,tutti, blue cheese, all make a comeback like its 2010. It would blow alot of medical away.

Theres a large amount of people waiting with seeds older than some patients on here for law to get fair and change and lets be honest an autoflower in a 10 litre pot can produce over an oz of lime green bud with very minimal effort at all , No green fingers needed. No rocket science. No mud. Good organic aerated soil taking it easy with tunes on askin who has that cheese cutting for trade.

Sounds to me your very lucky with MC but id say more like sounds you have been done a few times with bad growers with just as much neck as as medical producers selling old brown weed , Well ye know what they say about a good grower and all that.

There is a satisfaction to growing own produce but the point here is two tier system for those that can afford it , let the option of gyo like in germany no big deal.

 

[MC Overgrow]

We deserve a system where medicine is decided by clinical need, not by what's in our wallet. And the numbers show that doing the right thing would actually save the NHS billions – money that could go back into other vital services.

The article spelled out what we already feel: in the UK, cannabis is a medicine if you're rich enough to go private, and a crime if you're not. Private patients get legal access; NHS prescriptions are almost non‑existent. That pushes many back to the street market – cheaper, less safe, and illegal. The law doesn't ask why you're using it, so poverty becomes a crime.

What the article doesn't mention is the potential NHS saving. Independent research found that routine NHS access to cannabis‑based medicines could save up to £4 billion a year – from fewer GP visits, hospital stays, and opioid prescriptions. That's around £729 per patient per year. For the 5.45 million people with disabling chronic pain, the saving would be nearly £4 billion annually. https://www.leafie.co.uk/news/cannabis-save-nhs-4-billion-each-year/

This is the Inverse Care Law in action: those with the greatest need (chronic pain, low income) are least likely to get NHS care, while those who can afford private clinics get the medicine, even if it is at the expense of basic essentials. The system spends more on less effective treatments for the poorest – and saves nothing by excluding those most in need.

After 30+ years of NHS service, becoming a cannabis patient myself transformed my perspective. Patient frustration is not personal, it is stigma power, where institutional authority marginalises groups. See the post on MedBud: **"Stigma and Inequality: The Hidden Harms Faced by UK Cannabis Patients"** https://forums.medbud.wiki/threads/...dden-harms-faced-by-uk-cannabis-patients.356/

 

[Delta 9]

We deserve a system where medicine is decided by clinical need, not by what's in our wallet. And the numbers show that doing the right thing would actually save the NHS billions – money that could go back into other vital services.

The article spelled out what we already feel: in the UK, cannabis is a medicine if you're rich enough to go private, and a crime if you're not. Private patients get legal access; NHS prescriptions are almost non‑existent. That pushes many back to the street market – cheaper, less safe, and illegal. The law doesn't ask why you're using it, so poverty becomes a crime.

What the article doesn't mention is the potential NHS saving. Independent research found that routine NHS access to cannabis‑based medicines could save up to £4 billion a year – from fewer GP visits, hospital stays, and opioid prescriptions. That's around £729 per patient per year. For the 5.45 million people with disabling chronic pain, the saving would be nearly £4 billion annually. https://www.leafie.co.uk/news/cannabis-save-nhs-4-billion-each-year/

This is the Inverse Care Law in action: those with the greatest need (chronic pain, low income) are least likely to get NHS care, while those who can afford private clinics get the medicine, even if it is at the expense of basic essentials. The system spends more on less effective treatments for the poorest – and saves nothing by excluding those most in need.

After 30+ years of NHS service, becoming a cannabis patient myself transformed my perspective. Patient frustration is not personal, it is stigma power, where institutional authority marginalises groups. See the post on MedBud: **"Stigma and Inequality: The Hidden Harms Faced by UK Cannabis Patients"** https://forums.medbud.wiki/threads/...dden-harms-faced-by-uk-cannabis-patients.356/

100% spot on. To me 1 of the biggest disgraces and overlooked and not highlighted the way it should be is its sad that the system is that f*cked up that how could you not support a low incocome parent who would like to grow a few plants for oil for their kid who has uncontrolled epilepsy but doesnt have to be pediatric drug resistant but just an an option to have better therapy n control for epilepsy.

These kids are stuck in limbo cos under 18s cant get a MC script and no to very limited access on NHS , There will be a canna community up and down the uk that will and continue to save these kids lives. Some will be gd quality but as you said cheaper, less safe n illegal will b out there.

Canna commUnity and self empowerment is what they will not want, THC isolate with bulking agents is future on NHS , 3 teir system with kids parents having money but under 18 or parents using all money to kid to stay alive , remortgage house etc , crazy times but we should all be fighting under 1 banner 1 voice with access for all regardless of income or age , acess to seed plants clones legacy cuts.

 

[Grumbleweed]

Having only experienced Medicann I'm not seeing much difference in bm price to medical, I was paying £140/oz bm and 'take it or leave it' was the only choice on offer.

I've 3 previous convictions for cultivating (spanning over 30 years ) but it's a fun hobby made harder by the lack of sources for rooted clones.

I don't grow at this point but will do again, and if caught will have a medical defence when I say "what crime?" with a weed script in my hand as I try to 'nullify' the jury in court, as after all 'an unjust law is no law at all'