Our constitution.

The association is named Legal Growers UK (the "Association"), an unincorporated campaign association governed by this constitution.

The Association exists to campaign for the establishment of a legal framework for recreational cannabis in the United Kingdom. It pursues this through lawful means including public communications, social media, media outreach, community events, industry engagement, and lobbying of government and is non-partisan.

Membership is open to any individual that supports the Campaign and agrees to this constitution. The CEO may establish membership tiers, including paid tiers, as he/she sees fit. The voting rights of members are limited to voting for the two member-representative Board members in accordance with Article 4. Membership does not confer any other voting right unless this constitution is expressly amended.

The Board or CEO may refuse, suspend, or revoke membership where a person's involvement would be contrary to the Campaign's purpose or rules, provided written reasons and an opportunity to respond are given. Removal of membership requires a two-thirds Board majority and the affected person may appeal to the Board, whose decision shall be final.

The Association is governed by a Board of five (5) members. Three initial Board members are appointed by the CEO. Two Board members are member representatives chosen by the membership once membership is established. The three non-member-representative Board members shall approve the nominated shortlist for the two member-representative seats and shall decide the nomination and selection process.

Board members serve two-year renewable terms. A Board member vacates their position for three consecutive unexplained absences, legal incapacity, or removal by a Board supermajority vote of 4 out of 5 board members after notice and opportunity to respond. Vacancies must be filled within 60 days. The Board has no role in day-to-day operations.

For the purpose of this document, a board majority vote always refers to three out of five board members voting in favour. All five members must be notified of a vote at least 7 days in advance and given the chance to participate. A vote may not proceed unless at least three members cast a vote. Non-response within the notice period counts as an abstention and does not count toward the three required votes.

CEO: Appointed by the Board for a one-year renewable term. Leads all day-to-day campaign operations, including staff, communications, content, outreach, and expenditure in accordance with Articles 7 and 8. May be removed by the Board passing a vote of no confidence with a supermajority of 4 Board members. Reports to the Board at each meeting.

Treasurer: Appointed by the CEO. Maintains financial records, presents financial reports to the Board, ensures payments comply with Articles 8 and 9, and publishes monthly redacted bank statements or financial summaries per Article 9.

Secretary: Appointed by the CEO. Maintains the member and officer register; keeps the constitution and official documents up to date; organises Board meetings, circulates agendas and minutes; manages banking mandates, resolutions, and compliance files; and supports the CEO and Board with formal administration.

The CEO shall notify the Board in writing of any Treasurer or Secretary appointment or removal. The Board may reject the appointment or removal by simple majority within 7 days of that notification. If no rejection is received within 7 days, the appointment is confirmed automatically.

All operational roles are at the CEO's discretion. Team members work to deadlines and are privy to internal discussions. Affiliates contribute informally. Operational roles are decided upon by the CEO. For the duration of the period that the Association exists as an unincorporated association, all roles will be exclusively unpaid volunteer roles.

The CEO decides all operational matters, subject to the financial controls in Article 8. The Board is limited to the following functions: (a) appointing and removing the CEO; (b) providing oversight, including the right to view bank statements and records; (c) approving campaign policy and policy changes on an annual basis or at the CEO's request; and (d) approving the nominated shortlist and nomination and selection process for the two member-representative Board seats.

Board decisions require a simple majority at a quorate meeting or the board's own preferred and agreed upon voting system, except where this constitution requires a higher threshold. A quorate Board meeting requires a majority of Board members to be present. Written resolutions by email are valid if the required majority responds within five business days.

A dedicated campaign bank account shall be opened in the name of the Association and maintained separately from any personal accounts. Payments must have the dual authorisation of both the Treasurer and CEO. All records and receipts must be retained for at least six years.

While the Association remains an unincorporated association, it shall operate strictly on a cash-funded, direct-payment-only, no-liability basis. No officer, Board member, member, volunteer, affiliate, team member or other person has authority to borrow money, obtain credit, enter into deferred-payment arrangements, approve expenditure payable after the event, receive goods or services on invoice, enter into subscriptions, hire agreements, leases, recurring payment arrangements, guarantees, indemnities, cancellation-fee arrangements, renewal obligations, minimum-spend obligations, damages clauses, or any other arrangement that may create a debt or future financial liability. The Board has no power to waive this rule while the Association remains unincorporated.

All expenditure must be approved in advance and paid upfront by the Association directly to the relevant supplier, venue, travel provider, contractor or other external payee from cleared funds already held by the Association. No expenditure may be approved, incurred or treated as an Association expense unless it is paid directly by the Association before the cost is incurred.

No officer, Board member, member, volunteer, affiliate, team member or other person may incur expenses personally with the expectation, request, agreement or understanding that the Association will reimburse, repay, indemnify or compensate them afterwards. The Association shall not make advance payments to individuals for expenses, shall not reimburse expenses after they have been incurred, and shall not treat any personally incurred expense as an Association expense. If an expense cannot be paid upfront by the Association directly to the relevant external payee, that expense must not be incurred for or on behalf of the Association.

Any person who purports to incur a debt, liability, deferred payment obligation, personally incurred expense or other prohibited commitment acts without authority. Such conduct shall not bind the Association internally and shall not create any right to reimbursement, repayment, indemnity or compensation from Association funds.

Suppliers, venues, contractors and service providers must be informed, where relevant, that the Association does not purchase goods or services on credit, does not accept invoices or payment requests retrospectively, and does not accept deferred payment terms, subscriptions, cancellation fees, renewal obligations or continuing liabilities while it remains an unincorporated association. The Association only accepts goods and services where the full costs have been paid for by the Association in advance directly to the supplier or service provider.

All funds shall be used exclusively for Campaign purposes and in accordance with Article 8. No funds shall be paid to members, officers, or Board members as reimbursement, repayment, indemnity, compensation, or advance payment for expenses.

The Treasurer shall publish a redacted bank statement or financial transparency summary monthly within 15 days of month-end on the Association's social media channels or other official channels. Redaction is mandatory where required to protect account numbers, sort codes, personal data of third-party payees, commercially sensitive information, security-sensitive information, supplier patterns, or any information whose publication would create a material risk to the Association.

Approved annual accounts or an annual financial summary shall be made available to all members within 30 days of Board approval. The Board may also hold member briefings, consultations, advisory polls, or other non-binding engagement processes.

The Board meets at least every three months with at least five days' notice. Minutes or written summaries of Board decisions shall be kept within ten days. All other internal communication is conducted one-to-one or in small groups. The Board may hold member briefings, consultations, advisory polls, or other non-binding engagement processes as it considers appropriate.

Any Board member or officer with a conflict of interest in a matter before the Board must declare it before discussion, withdraw from the vote, and have the declaration recorded in the minutes. The Secretary shall maintain a register of interests available to any Board member on request. A conflict of interest is grounds for removal of a board member by a simple majority vote of 3 board members and approval by the CEO.

This constitution may be amended by four out of five board members.

i) Proposed amendments must be circulated 45 days in advance of a board vote.

ii) The CEO has the right to request a review of constitutional changes giving reasons in writing. This must be done within 30 days of a vote being passed. If no request for review is submitted within 30 days, the amendment is deemed passed.

iii) If the CEO makes a request for review the board will have 14 days after submission to make a decision. If four of five board members vote to pass the amendment in its original form, then they will take effect. If the board decides to change the amendments, the process will begin again from step i). If no action is taken within 14 days then the amendment will be considered dropped.

All amendments must be recorded in writing and signed by two Board members to take effect.

While the Association remains unincorporated, the Association may be dissolved by resolution of four out of five Board members, provided that at least 45 days' notice has been given to all Board members and a written explanation has been provided to members. Before dissolution takes effect, the Board shall settle any lawful liabilities from Association funds, prepare a final financial statement, and transfer any remaining assets to one or more organisations with analogous campaign purposes or, failing that, to a non-profit or charitable organisation selected by the Board. No surplus assets shall be distributed to Board members, officers, members, volunteers, affiliates or team members. If a Successor Entity exists under Article 14, it receives first consideration.

The Board may resolve by simple majority to incorporate as a company limited by guarantee or other suitable legal structure (the "Successor Entity"). The Successor Entity's constitution shall reflect the purpose and governance principles of this document, subject to any governance changes required or appropriate for incorporation. Assets may be transferred to the Successor Entity and the Association dissolved under Article 13. Members shall have 14 days' notice and an opportunity to raise concerns before any transfer. Wider member-governance mechanisms may be considered for the Successor Entity if appropriate at that stage.