In the summer of 2012, Britain was celebrating the queen's diamond jubilee and the London Olympics. But for Hannah Deacon and her family in Warwickshire, it was a summer of ambulances, hospital wards, and emergency rooms. Eight months earlier, Deacon had given birth to Alfie, a healthy baby boy. However, one night the couple woke to find their baby gripped by a paralyzing seizure.
The Struggle for Treatment
The family rushed Alfie to their local hospital in Warwick, which lacked an intensive care unit and experience with such seizures. Alfie's health worsened, and he was eventually put on life support at Stoke hospital. Doctors suspected a virus but couldn't identify it. After two weeks, Deacon demanded Alfie be moved to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where steroids finally stopped his seizures after three and a half weeks.
Alfie continued to suffer seizures until age five, when he was diagnosed with PCDH19, a rare form of epilepsy. The medications destroyed his quality of life without stopping seizures. Deacon began researching natural remedies and discovered the medicinal powers of cannabis.
Historical Context of Cannabis in the UK
When Deacon began her research in 2017, the UK classified medicinal cannabis as a schedule 1 substance, the strictest control level. Cannabis had been legal for medical use in California since 1996, but in Britain, it was seen as having no medical value. Today, over 30 private clinics prescribe medical cannabis in the UK, with advertisements on the London Underground and billboards.
The shift is partly thanks to campaigners like Deacon, but accessing treatment via the NHS remains difficult. William O'Shaughnessy, a Victorian medical innovator, conducted trials showing cannabis could treat diseases like epilepsy. However, international drug laws led to the UK's 1928 Dangerous Drugs Act, which prohibited cannabis for the first time.
Deacon's Campaign
After Alfie's diagnosis, Deacon faced dismissive doctors and even a threat to report her to social services for mentioning cannabis. She moved her family to the Netherlands in 2017, where medical cannabis was mainstream. There, Alfie began treatment with CBD, and after reaching 150ml, he went 17 days without seizures. Upon returning to the UK, Deacon campaigned for law change, meeting Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018.
May promised to secure a licence for Alfie, but the application was rejected. Deacon intensified media appearances, and along with Charlotte Caldwell, whose son Billy also suffered from epilepsy, they generated public sympathy. On 19 June 2018, the law on medical cannabis was updated across the UK.
The Reality Post-Legalization
Despite the law change, only a handful of patients have accessed medical cannabis on the NHS. Between November 2018 and July 2022, 89,239 prescriptions for unlicensed cannabis medicines were issued, but fewer than five were from the NHS. The rest went private. The government kept tight controls on research, making it expensive and bureaucratic for scientists to build evidence for NHS rollout. Most doctors lack the education to prescribe cannabis confidently.
Meanwhile, the private medical cannabis industry expanded rapidly, with companies advertising on Instagram and TikTok. In 2024, the UK's medical cannabis market grew about 10% per month. However, NHS professionals often don't feel comfortable sharing medical information with private clinics.
The Cost of Private Care
Patients can pay up to £1,000 per month for private medical cannabis. The death of Oliver Robinson, a 34-year-old who took his own life after being prescribed medical cannabis by a private clinic, highlighted the risks. Better regulation of private providers could minimize harms while making relief affordable.
Hannah Deacon passed away from cancer in May 2025. She wanted Alfie to have access to his medicine when she was no longer there. Her mother continues her campaign. The UK needs a post-prohibition framework that minimizes drug harms while sharing their life-changing benefits.
