This Isn't a Movement, It's a Mess

There Aren't Enough Real Advocates. And There's a Reason

We don't have enough strong patient advocates in the UK. Not because people don't care. Not because patients don't exist. But because the people with the most serious conditions, the ones who truly need medical cannabis and understand the system's failures firsthand, are often too unwell to fight. They're surviving, not campaigning.

Meanwhile, those with more drive or capacity, who could be stepping up, often don't. Some sit in the background, complain from the comment section, or throw shade from behind anonymous profiles. When given a platform or a chance to lead, they flake, fold, or fumble it then blame everyone else.

The "Who Are You With?" Mentality

Suspicion runs deep in this space, and it's not just directed at new advocates. Every project is assumed to have an ulterior motive. Every success is picked apart until it looks suspicious. New advocates get a quiet cold shoulder, while veterans sometimes face outright character assassination, based on nothing but a mismatch in values or style.

I have experienced it myself. Harassed for not doing enough. Told that what I'm doing will "make medical cannabis illegal again" for upholding patient rights. Criticised for associations people assume are problematic with no knowledge of the actual circumstances or the work being done.

What We Need Instead

The patients who most need this movement to succeed are the ones least able to participate in its infighting. If we carry on like this; fragmenting, gatekeeping, cannibalising our own, we will fail them. Not because the system won out. Because we did it to ourselves.

We need advocates who lead with patients. Who build coalitions, not fiefdoms. Who take criticism constructively, and who support one another, especially those just starting out. The movement is only as strong as its weakest patient, and right now too many of them are being left behind.