Warwickshire mum who fought to legalise medical cannabis dies
Hannah Deacon from Kenilworth helped secure a law change in 2018
Last updated 7th May 2025
A Warwickshire mum, who campaigned to get medical cannabis use legalised in the UK, has died following a short illness, her family said.
Hannah Deacon from Kenilworth was a driving force behind a rule change in 2018, to allow medical cannabis to be prescribed to NHS patients.
In a social media post, it was confirmed that Hannah had died "on Tuesday 6 May, surrounded by those who loved her, after a short and brutal illness."
The post continued: "This devastating loss to Hannah’s beloved partner Drew, and children Alfie and Annie, is impossible to put into words.
"Hannah was remarkable: determined, tenacious, and fiercely compassionate. Her fight to find treatment for her son Alfie’s rare and severe epilepsy led to a breakthrough that changed his life and ultimately changed the law.
"She went on to transform the lives of thousands of patients and families, never stopping in her work to push for better access, better care, and a better understanding of medical cannabis."
Hannah, 45, campaigned for years for medical cannabis to be legalised here, as she sought treatment for her son Alfie Dingley.
He has a rare form of epilepsy, which meant he could suffer from hundreds of seizures a month.
Alfie was taken to Holland for a few months in 2017 to be treated with the drug, after which he and his family returned to the UK to successfully get access to medical cannabis, initially via a government license, and then an NHS prescription.
Following the law change in 2018, Hannah continued to support families across the country to get access to the drug for medical use.
In a social media post in March, it was confirmed that Hannah had cancer and would step back from her role as chair and trustee of the MedCan Family Foundation which she helped set up to help families access medical cannabis.