Today marks my one year anniversary of being a legal Cannabis patient. I’ve been chasing the fabled 5 dollar gram from day one out of a combination of need and a matter of principle. I refuse to take part in the belief that a pricier gram is a more medicinal gram. And I refuse to feed into the capitalistic machine that allows medicine to be profitable. Believe you me, that 5 dollar gram is still making loads of profit!
My first producer was Bedrocan where I had “True Compassionate Pricing” and months of choosing from 6 different $5 grams. Today I would pay $8.50 with a compassionate price of $6.80. Their selection dropped to 5 strains and half of them are usually only available pre-ground or what they call “Granulated”.
Next I jumped to MedReleaf where I once again had the choice of 2 different $5 grams. Within months those began to waver in supply to the point where I really only had one to choose from. It was like buying on the street all over again! A few months later both of those $5 grams jumped to $6.50 without warning and remain at that price today.
Next I hooked up with Organigram where I always paid between $5.25 and $6.50 per gram. Today I couldn’t buy a gram even with my compassionate pricing under $7.50. Not that I would. Although I thank them for taking care of that pesky appetite and weight problem I had, I can’t wait to see what happens with that class action law suit!
I ran for abcann when given the chance but could only ever afford their pre-ground for about $5.35 a gram and now I can’t even buy for under $8.50 a gram. Once abcann started trading on the stock market, bye-bye went the $5 grams.
Finally I settled with Aurora and after kissing so many frogs I was so happy with them- still am! I once again qualified for their compassionate pricing of $5 grams, which was down from $8. But this ended today and effective June 1st, all Aurora grams are $9, $6 with discount.
Goodbye 5 dollar gram, we had a good run!
Part of the Health Canada regulations for Licensed Producers is a restriction on marketing and advertising. But allowing them to make their own prices IS marketing and it leads patients to jump from one to the other searching desperately for the illusion of affordability. How can you still allow any kind of self-regulation in healthcare amid capitalism? It defies logic that anything good will come of it.
So many things happen today, actually. I have my one-year performance review where I work, and I hope it comes with a raise because now that Aurora increased the price of my medicine by 20%, I’ll surely need one!
I can see a glimmer of hope in the future for me though, as I patiently wait for Health Canada to approve my application to grow my own in my closet for under $1 a gram. Honestly, feeling healthy shouldn’t be this stressful or expensive!