Overview

• Hannah Deacon, instrumental in the 2018 UK law change permitting NHS medical cannabis prescriptions, passed away on May 6, 2025, at age 45 after a brief battle with cancer.
• Her campaign began after witnessing dramatic improvements in her son Alfie's severe epilepsy through cannabis oil treatment in the Netherlands, where it was legal.
• In 2018, Deacon’s advocacy, supported by actor Sir Patrick Stewart, led to Alfie becoming the first NHS patient prescribed medical cannabis, reducing his seizures from hundreds a week to none for two years.
• She co-founded the MedCan Family Foundation to assist families in accessing medical cannabis, though significant barriers to full-spectrum prescriptions persist in the UK.
• Deacon’s passing marks a profound loss for the medical cannabis movement, with her family and foundation vowing to continue her mission to improve access and care.