Remembering Inspirational Cannabis Campaigner Hannah Deacon

Hannah Deacon announced some weeks ago that she would be stepping down from some of her campaigning commitments.

Ms Deacon famously became the first person to secure a medical cannabis prescription through the NHS in 2018 for her son Alfie. Without her work, it's not unreasonable to say that medical cannabis would likely still not be lawful in the UK today.

Before being prescribed medical cannabis Alfie would suffer as many as 150 seizures a week. Thanks to medicinal cannabis however in the following five years Alfie did not experience a single seizure.

"Hannah was one of the most capable people I've ever had the privilege to work with. She was full of common sense, full of dedication to her family but also dedication to others whose children, particularly, were also suffering from treatment-resistant epilepsy who would benefit from cannabis." - Professor Mike Barnes.

Professor Barnes commented that around 75,000 people in the UK have since benefitted from medicinal cannabis as a result of the legacy of her work. He also believes that no one else has achieved so much in such a short time.

He also went on to say that Ms Deacon was not only pivotal in changing the law but also in helping to set the infrastructure for how medical cannabis would be distributed to pharmacies. The aim of Ms Deacon was that anyone who needed medical cannabis should be able to access it via the NHS.

"It was a remarkable campaign back in 2018 that enabled doctors to prescribe medical cannabis as a benefit to so many people."

Ms Deacon was the driving force behind the creation of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society who support and engagedoctors and medical professionals, the Medcan Family Foundation who support parents and carers, and Maple Tree Consultants who support the industry and the press for a shift and improvement in results. Ms Deacon was also a very involved member of the Cannabis Industry Council.

"The work she has done has changed the lives of so many young children living with Epilepsy." -Tonia Antoniazzi, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Medical Cannabis on or under Prescription.

Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, recalled Ms Deacon's campaigning and when it was debated in the House of Commons.

"I can truly say that she has changed the lives of many, she's changed policy and her life will be long-remembered by many, many others."

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