Hannah Deacon, a mother and medical cannabis campaigner in the UK, died on May 6, aged 45.

Notable mother and campaigner who played a key role in legalising medicinal cannabis in the UK, Hannah Deacon, has died aged 45. In a statement on her website, Hannah’s loved ones said they were “heartbroken” to share the news of her death after a “short and brutal illness”.

In March, Hannah announced that she was stepping down from her role as president of the Medcan Family Foundation and taking time off from other work commitments to be with her family after being diagnosed with cancer.

She died on Tuesday, May 6, surrounded by those who loved her, aged just 45. Hannah was a beloved partner to Drew, a loving mother to their children, Alfie, 13, and Annie, 10, and a dear daughter, sister and friend to many.

The family said: “We are heartbroken to share that Hannah Deacon passed away on Tuesday 6th May, surrounded by those who loved her, after a short and brutal illness. She was just 45 years old. It is impossible to put into words this devastating loss to Hannah’s beloved partner Drew and children Alfie and Annie.”

Alfie's Hope
Hannah’s love for her children has driven her to make the world a better place. Her campaign on behalf of Alfie, who has a rare and severe form of treatment-resistant epilepsy, played a crucial role in the legalisation of medicinal cannabis in the UK in 2018.

Alfie was one of six boys in the world to be diagnosed with the genetic condition PCDH19 in 2015. The family were told there was no cure and that their doctors had exhausted all treatment options, but Hannah refused to give up on her son. Through her research, she discovered other families using medicinal cannabis and, although the treatment was not yet available in the UK, they moved to the Netherlands where Alfie could legally access it.

 “Medical cannabis has changed the lives of Alfie, Hannah and their entire family”

Sharing your journey through the page Alfie's Hope, on Facebook, Hannah and Alfie's story captured the hearts of the nation, and their petition to the government to legalise medicinal cannabis in the UK was signed by more than 700.000 people.

Her tenacious campaign took her to Downing Street, where she had tea with then Prime Minister Theresa May, who would eventually grant Alfie’s doctor the first full licence to prescribe cannabis on the NHS.

“Determined, tenacious and fiercely compassionate”

Hannah believed strongly in justice and doing the right thing. After the law was changed, she continued to campaign tirelessly on behalf of other patients and families to ensure that treatment was available on the NHS for anyone who needed it. She co-founded the Medcan Family Foundation, along with her friend and fellow campaigner Matt Hughes, helping hundreds of families of children with epilepsy and other life-limiting conditions across the UK.

Hannah Deacon participated in Cannabis Europe in June 2024, in a roundtable discussion on the topic “What defines a cannabis patient in current regulations”, moderated by Laura Ramos, editor of CannaReporter®. Photo: Cannabis Europe

She also built a successful career as one of the most influential female leaders in the UK medical cannabis sector and dedicated the last years of her life to advocating for patients and helping to overcome barriers to accessing treatment.

This included supporting better education for clinicians as Executive Director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and promoting growth opportunities in the industry as Director of Maple Tree Consultants.

All this was done in conjunction with her colleague and close friend Professor Mike Barnes, the neurologist who prescribed medicinal cannabis to Alfie, who became a member of the family. “Hannah was extraordinary: determined, tenacious and incredibly compassionate,” her loved ones said. Her fight to find treatment for her son Alfie’s rare and severe epilepsy led to a breakthrough that changed her life and, ultimately, the law. She transformed the lives of thousands of patients and families, while never stopping her work to fight for better access, better care and a better understanding of medicinal cannabis.

The statement added: “More than anything, Hannah’s proudest and most important role was being a mother. Alfie and Annie were her world. She adored them. Everything she fought for came from her enduring love for them and her desire to make the world a kinder, fairer place. Hannah was our brave and beautiful partner, daughter, sister and friend. She made us laugh, made us think and made us feel stronger just by being there. We are all better for knowing her. We only wish we had more time.”

Further updates on how Hannah’s loved ones wish to honor her life, work and legacy will be shared in due course.
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Note from Journalist Sarah Sinclair: We write many articles about Hannah in recent years, but this is one of those we never imagined we would have to share and has been one of the hardest to put into words. Hannah was a respected colleague and, more importantly, a close friend of CannabisHealth. Alongside Professor Mike Barnes, she helped create the journal in 2019 with the desire to promote education, awareness and understanding of cannabis-based medicine, and her support has been unwavering throughout its evolution.

We send love and strength to her family and are forever grateful for all the light she brought to the world. We are certainly better for having known her.
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Editor's Note: This article was originally published by Sarah Sinclair on CannabisHealth and translated and adapted into Portuguese by Laura Ramos. The CannaReporter® has been with Hannah Deacon several times and interviewed her in 2023 at the CT-CANN – Clinical Trials on Cannabis conference in London in 2023. However, the sound of the interview was very noisy and the interview was never published, as we were waiting for an opportunity to repeat it under better technical conditions. As this will unfortunately no longer be possible, we will soon publish the version we have from 2023, in her memory. The CannaReporter® team extends its deepest condolences to the family of Hannah Deacon.

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