Home Growing Cannabis: UK Advocate Macky's Journey & Tips
- Ishqa Hillman
- Nov 26
- 6 min read
Discover why home growing cannabis matters with UK advocate Macky from High on Home Grown. Learn the three rules of safe growing plus tips for beginners.
From Soap Bar to Advocacy: A Cannabis Journey Spanning Decades
For over two decades, cannabis has been part of Macky's life. The UK-based advocate and host of High on Home Grown podcast started young—around 15—smoking what locals called "solids" or soap bar, a low-quality hash that was all anyone could find in the UK back then.
"We used to burn it with a lighter to soften it, sprinkle it into tobacco and smoke it in a joint," Macky recalls. The carpet between his and his brother's beds became a minefield of burn holes from hot rocks falling out of joints. But when proper cannabis flower—what they called "green"—finally arrived in the UK with strains like Bubblegum and White Widow, everything changed.
Developing a Healthier Relationship with Cannabis
Like many long-term consumers, Macky's relationship with cannabis wasn't always balanced. At his peak, he was smoking a quarter ounce daily—"three fat joints before midday" was routine. The dependency became clear when leaving the house for a few hours meant rushing back for a joint.
The turning point came about three years ago when Macky decided he was done being, as he puts it, "a prisoner to this plant." He quit both tobacco and cannabis cold turkey, taking a complete break for a couple of years. Today, he consumes less than two grams weekly through a dry herb vaporizer, maintaining what he calls a "much healthier relationship" with the plant.
"I realized I just didn't have a good relationship with cannabis," he explains. "Now I do. It doesn't dictate anything."
Why Home Growing Cannabis Matters
Despite no longer growing himself due to legal risks and minimal personal consumption, Macky remains passionate about encouraging others to grow their own cannabis. His advocacy centers on a simple philosophy: home growing is safer, higher quality, and removes money from potentially harmful criminal organizations.
"The best cannabis you're gonna get is your own homegrown," Macky emphasizes. "Even in legal places where you can go to dispensaries, it's massively overpriced and often lower quality."
The Three Cardinal Rules of Home Growing
For anyone interested in home growing cannabis, Macky shares three essential safety rules:
1. Don't Tell Never tell anyone about your grow operation. If you need help, join online communities like Percy's Grow Room rather than involving people in your physical life. As Macky says, "Loose lips sink ships."
2. Don't Sell Selling creates tax-free income that attracts unwanted attention. Plus, when you sell, people wonder where it's from, breaking rule number one.
3. Don't Smell Use proper extraction with carbon filters to eliminate odors. Indoor growers should invest in quality extraction systems that pull air through carbon filters, removing organic matter and pumping odorless air outside the grow space.
"If you can just follow those three rules, nobody's gonna know about your grow," Macky advises. "You keep under the radar and you'll be completely safe."
Building Community: Percy's Grow Room
Seven years ago, Macky founded Percy's Grow Room, a cannabis growers forum that now boasts 5,555 active members worldwide. The name reflects its mission—Percy means "personal use," making everyone a "Percy grower."
The forum emerged after Macky was banned from another cannabis site for allegedly "poaching members" when he and other moderators decided to create their own community. "You watch, this forum is gonna be bigger than yours," he remembers thinking.
Today, Percy's Grow Room thrives while the old site languishes with an outdated interface and dwindling community.
What makes Percy's special? A simple rule: don't be a dick.
"We don't have people thinking they're better than anyone else," Macky explains. "We're all at different levels of growing experience. Nobody shows off. We're just happy to help each other grow better cannabis."
Making Cannabis Growing Accessible
Through the High on Home Grown podcast, Macky and his team produce a Grow Guides series now spanning 68 episodes. Starting from absolute basics like planning your grow and choosing seeds, the series breaks down cultivation into digestible, jargon-free lessons.
"I don't like shows where people get all sciencey and confusing, swinging their dicks around about how much they know," Macky says. "It scares people off. They think it's too complex. It's really, really simple if you just break it down to the basics."
His philosophy? "There's many ways to go swimming with a cat"—their twisted version of common sayings—meaning there are multiple valid approaches to growing cannabis. Find what works for you and master it.
Growing cannabis is remarkably forgiving. The plant is resilient and wants to survive. Give it food, water, and light, and even first-time growers will produce quality results that exceed street or dispensary purchases.
Cannabis Strains and Growing Preferences
Throughout his growing years, Macky cultivated dozens of strains but holds special affection for classics. Jack Herer ranks among his favorites, along with White Widow for nostalgia. But if pressed, he'd choose Blue Cheese—a pungent strain "that stinks of dog shit" in the best possible way.
"Things like that are not on the market so much anymore," he notes. "That's definitely some homegrown stuff."
While Macky primarily grew from seeds for variety, he also maintained mother plants of exceptional phenotypes, like a Super Lemon Haze from Greenhouse Seeds. By re-vegetating flowering plants, he could take cuttings and preserve exact genetics for future grows.
The Realities of UK Cannabis Advocacy
Unlike advocates who publicly fight for legalization, Macky maintains anonymity to protect his young children from potential trauma if authorities discovered his past growing activities. He doesn't consider what he does "real advocacy"—that honor belongs to those brave enough to publicly challenge UK cannabis laws.
Instead, his focus remains on education and community building. Through the podcast, which has surpassed one million downloads, and the forum with thousands of active members worldwide, Macky estimates they've inspired countless people to start growing their own cannabis.
"That's fucking super cool," he reflects. "All over the world—South Africa, Australia, Europe, across the USA, South America. We even have listeners in Russia."
The UK's path to legalization remains murky. Despite global momentum, British politicians allegedly profit from medical cannabis monopolies and have little incentive to open the market. Macky remains skeptical about near-term reform.
"Doesn't even matter if the whole world legalized, the UK would sit here with our crooked government and say there's not enough studies," he says. "They have their fingers in the pie already. If they open the market to everyone else, they stand to lose money."
Parenting and Plant Medicine
As a father, Macky approaches cannabis education with his children carefully but honestly. His youngest, who is homeschooled, sees more of the reality, while his older children who attend public school receive age-appropriate information when they ask questions.
"The key to a healthy relationship with drugs is proper education," Macky believes. "If you don't explain things to them, somebody else will explain it wrong. You gotta do it right by your kids and tell them the truth."
He emphasizes that governments shouldn't dictate what adults do with their bodies when it doesn't affect others—a message he shares with his children alongside open discussions about all substances, not just cannabis.
Beyond cannabis, Macky credits psilocybin mushrooms and LSD with helping him develop deeper self-awareness and address personal flaws. These plant medicines facilitated the kind of self-reflection that contributed to his healthier relationship with all substances.
The Future of Cannabis Advocacy
Despite legal challenges, Macky remains optimistic about the cannabis community and the slow march toward broader acceptance. Things are undeniably better than the 1970s and 80s, and younger generations show increasing support for legalization.
His message to aspiring home growers is simple: don't be intimidated. Cannabis cultivation is accessible to anyone willing to learn the basics. Join communities like Percy's Grow Room, follow the three cardinal rules, and start your journey toward cannabis independence.
"We're not doing anything wrong," Macky insists. "We're not hurting anybody. We're not causing any harm. We're just disobeying bullshit laws. And that's our duty—to disobey bullshit laws."
For Macky, cannabis advocacy isn't about press conferences or protests. It's about empowering individuals to grow their own medicine safely, building supportive communities, and slowly changing hearts and minds one home grower at a time.
Ready to start your home growing journey? Join communities like Percy's Grow Room to connect with experienced growers and access step-by-step guides. Remember: don't tell, don't sell, don't smell—and grow your best life.
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