Since I am paralyzed after a serious accident and suffer from severe spasticity and neuropathic pain, winter in Switzerland is hell for me. That's why I've been spending it in Tenerife on the Canary Islands for three years. I chose my winter home not only because I have friends here, but also because cannabis is legally available in Spain if you are a member of a social club. These clubs may operate in a gray area legally, but for now, if they follow certain rules, they are allowed to sell cannabis to their members.
Before my first trip, I looked for such a social club on the Internet and contacted one of the members. They promised me that I could buy my medication from them. Reassured, I started planning my trip and preparing everything. Shortly before I left I wrote to him again, but he didn't get back to me. Since cannabis is now almost my only medication and I can hardly stand the pain without it, I was now totally stressed. I also need quite large quantities and I was seriously worried about how and where I would get cannabis from. But the trip was booked and the adventure began. There was no going back.
When I arrived in Spain, I and my parents immediately started looking for another cannabis social club so that I could get my medication as quickly as possible. Luckily we found one right away while walking through one of the towns. But since it was on the upper floor, it wasn't possible for me with the electric wheelchair to go over and ask. That's why my parents took over. But they were not allowed in and were sent away in a rather unfriendly manner. Strangers were clearly not welcome here. But since I absolutely had to find a solution, they tried again. The second time, still totally annoyed, the bouncer gave my mother a phone number for a medical cannabis social club.
I contacted them by phone and have been a member of the club for €50 a year for three years now. Since I got this number, I have been in cannabis patient heaven. I can now order cannabis oil capsules in the right dosage for me by phone. I also get different types of cannabis flowers. I can try out which strain works best for my pain. The head of the club knows what he is talking about and gave me competent advice in English. He is very reliable, which was often a problem for me when you have to get your medication illegally.
I now spend around €800 a month on my medication. I can easily order the new ration for the next month a week before the capsules run out. And since I am now a good customer, some of my medication is even delivered to my home. That's exactly how it should be!
Now I'm back in Switzerland and the procurement stress starts all over again. I have a special permit from the Federal Office of Public Health and the accident insurance even paid me for two bottles of cannabis tincture (CHF 1,100), but these are far too weak and aren't even enough for a week. Cannabis flowers cannot be obtained legally in Switzerland. So every month I have to think about how and where I will get my medication. And I don't know how good the quality is either. Most of the time I'm glad that I have something and don't have to think about where I'm going to get my medication from next time. This is an enormous psychological stress and actually I already have enough to deal with the constant pain.
I would also like for Switzerland to allow patients to grow their own medicine. Then we could organize ourselves into Association . As long as cannabis as a medication is not paid for by health insurance companies, patients must be able to produce their medication as cheaply as possible. This is only possible if we are allowed to grow it ourselves.
