Since I'm paraplegic after a serious accident and suffer from severe spasticity and neuropathic pain, winter in Switzerland is hell for me. For the past three years, I've spent it in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. I chose my winter home not only because I have friends there, but also because cannabis is legally available in Spain if you're a member of a social club. These clubs operate in a legal gray area, but currently, if they adhere to certain rules, they are allowed to sell cannabis to their members.
Before my first trip, I found a social club like this online and contacted one of the members. He promised I could buy my medication from them. Reassured, I started planning my trip and preparing everything. Shortly before my departure, I wrote to him again, but he never replied. Since cannabis is now almost my only medication and I can barely tolerate the pain without it, I was incredibly stressed. I also need quite large quantities, and I was seriously worried about how and where I would get cannabis. But the trip was booked, and the adventure began. There was no turning back.
Upon arriving in Spain, my parents and I immediately set out to find another cannabis social club so I could get my medication as quickly as possible. Luckily, we found one right away while strolling through one of the towns. However, since it was located upstairs, it wasn't possible for me to go upstairs and ask in my electric wheelchair. So my parents did it for me. But they weren't allowed in and were rather rudely turned away. Strangers were clearly not welcome. Since I desperately needed to find a solution, they tried again. The second time, still completely annoyed, the doorman finally gave my mother the phone number of a medical cannabis social club.
I contacted them by phone and have now been a member of the club for three years, paying €50 per year. Since getting this number, I've been in cannabis patient heaven. I can now order cannabis oil capsules in the correct dosage for me over the phone. I also receive different strains of cannabis flowers. I can try out which strain works best for my pain. The club's owner knows what he's talking about and gave me competent advice in English. He's very reliable, which was often a problem for me when I had to obtain my medication illegally.
I now spend about €800 a month on my medication. I can easily order my next month's supply a week before I run out of capsules. And since I'm a good customer now, 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 stress of getting my medication starts all over again. I do have a special permit from the Federal Office of Public Health, and my accident insurance even covers two bottles of cannabis tincture (CHF 1100), but these are far too weak and don't even last a week. Cannabis flowers aren't legal in Switzerland. So, every month I have to figure out how and where to get my medication. And I don't even know how good the quality is. Most of the time, I'm just glad to have some and not have to think about where I'll get my next dose for a moment. It's an enormous amount of psychological stress, and I already have enough to deal with in the constant pain.
I also hope that patients in Switzerland will be allowed to grow their own medication. Then we could organize ourselves into Association . As long as cannabis is not covered by health insurance and other insurers, patients must be able to produce their medication as cheaply as possible. This is only possible if we are allowed to grow it ourselves.
