*This episode contains explicit material from the start* Welcome back to the second season of the Cannabis Health podcast - What's Your Why?Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with some of those at the forefront of cannabis to find out why it matters to themJoin Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue.---As you'll hear from this extra long episode, Richard Lanigan has an incredible story.After a starting out as a successful football and fitness coach, Richard trained as a chiropractor and set up his own practice in London and Dublin, even being elected to the General Chiropractic Council.But in 2011, he was given the devastating diagnosis of rectal cancer. After being given the all clear, in 2013 Richard stunned everyone when he defied the odds to complete a marathon on the Great Wall of China. Months later he found out his cancer had returned and this time he was given just 22 months to live.  Since 2014, Richard has been taking cannabis oil and seven years later, is still going strong.Here, he reflects on his life so far, including how he dealt with his cancer diagnosis and his first experiences with cannabis.---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Edited by Sarah SinclairArtwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Welcome back to the second season of the Cannabis Health podcast - What's Your Why?Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with some of those at the forefront of cannabis to find out why it matters to themJoin Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue.---Like most of us, Guy Coxall first discovered cannabis as a teenager, but while he thought he was using recreationally, it was actually helping him to manage the symptoms of his mental health conditions. Guy went on to train in natural therapies, setting up his own successful practice and becoming a college lecturer, before he discovered the potential of CBD and cannabinoids.Guy is one of the founding members of the Cannabis Trades Association (CTA), where he served as compliance director, as well as setting up the UK's hemp think tank, HempTank UK, of which he is chair. Guy left the CTA after deciding he needed to take a different approach and launched the Seed Our Future campaign. He has published a number of reports highlighting the injustice of UK cannabis laws and supported several patients facing criminalisation for medical use. He talks to Hannah and Mike about his journey in cannabis so far, overcoming prohibition and why he won't give up fighting the good fight.---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Edited by Sarah SinclairArtwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Welcome back to the second season of the Cannabis Health podcast - What's Your Why?Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with some of those at the forefront of cannabis to find out why it matters to themJoin Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue.---Jamie Bartley, aka 'Mr Hemp', had a short-lived career in professional rugby, followed by a stint running a pub at the age of just 18, and then heading up a team of 45, running a ski resorts in France.When he returned to the UK and began work in the construction sector, he started researching the benefits of Hemp for soil decontamination. That's when he began to realise the vast potential of the plant and its role in the impending climate crisis. Jamie founded Unyte in 2018, a group of companies leading the drive to decarbonise the agricultural, construction and energy sectors, utilising Hemp as the solution. He is also chair of the Cannabis Industry Council's Hemp subgroup.He reveals why he's pushing for reform to Government legislation around industrial hemp, and why losing a friend to alcohol poisoning led to him becoming an advocate for cannabis.---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Edited by Sarah SinclairArtwork by Sophie Dinsdale

*This episode contains strong language from the beginning*Welcome back to the second season of the Cannabis Health podcast - What's Your Why?Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with some of those at the forefront of cannabis to find out why it matters to themJoin Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue.---After being educated at Eton, the private school famed for producing politicians and future  prime ministers, John Green decided Oxford wasn't for him and was carving a career as a successful DJ, when his mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.There began John's journey with cannabis. Seeing the medicinal properties of the plant first-hand, led to John to become a prominent campaigner. He set up Medical Marijuana UK, an online support group and community, through which he has helped dozens of patients to access medical cannabis.John, Hannah and Mike discuss the state of medical cannabis access in the UK, the different approaches to improving this and what activists can learn from each other to make things better for everyone.---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Edited by Sarah SinclairArtwork by Sophie Dinsdale

*This episode contains some strong language from the beginning*Welcome back to the second season of the Cannabis Health podcast - What's Your Why?Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with some of those at the forefront of cannabis to find out why it matters to themJoin Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue.---Carly Barton is one of the most prominent medical cannabis activists in the UK.  She was the first person in the UK to receive a prescription privately since the law change in 2018 and has since worked tirelessly with government organisations in order to progress NHS prescriptions. A former lecturer in the Arts, she has exhibited work at the Tate and the Saatchi gallery. After having to give up her role due to health problems, she discovered medical cannabis was not only an appropriate, but more effective substitute for opioids to treat her fibromyalgia and post-stroke neuropathy.In 2020 she launched Cancard, a collaborate project that has seen her connect high level police forces, doctors, patients and MPs on a scheme that reduces the fear 1.1 million cannabis consumers have around interference from the police.Carly talks to Mike and Hannah about the impact of having a life-changing health scare in her early 20s, overcoming her own stigma about cannabis and why she's determined to improve things for other patients in the UK.---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Edited by Sarah SinclairArtwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Welcome back to the second season of the Cannabis Health podcast - What's Your Why?Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with some of those at the forefront of cannabis to find out why it matters to themJoin Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue.---Our first guest, Peter Carroll, is an award winning public affairs campaigner, widely credited as the architect of Joanna Lumley’s Gurkha Justice campaign and one of the founders of the UK’s most successful fuel taxation campaign. But most listeners will know him for his work campaigning for medical cannabis as the driving force behind lobby group, End Our Pain.As co-founder of Tendo Consulting Peter was instrumental in the campaign to change the law in November 2018 and continues to fight for NHS access on behalf of the families of those children with severe epilepsy whose lives have been transformed by cannabis-based medicines.Peter always knew he wanted to be involved in politics somehow, but he took a very unconventional route. Here he gives us a glimpse behind closed doors from his time as special advisor in HM Treasury and reveals why he feels optimistic about improving access to medical cannabis in the UK.---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Edited by Sarah SinclairArtwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Medical cannabis experts, Professor Mike Barnes and campaigner Hannah Deacon sit down with their guests to find out why cannabis matters to them.----In the final episode of the series, Hannah interviews Professor Mike Barnes for a rare insight into how he ended up as one of the UK's leading cannabis experts.Now known to many as the UK's 'cannabis doctor' Mike spent most of his career as a leading neurologist at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne. He set up the  World Federation For Neurorehabilitation and travelled to countries across the globe to improve neuro-rehab facilities for patients living with brain injury and chronic neurological conditions.It was through the many MS patients attending his clinic that he first realised cannabis was being used to help relieve pain, spasticity and other symptoms related to the condition. After writing the one of the first reports into the medicinal role cannabis in the UK, he would meet Hannah Deacon and work with the UK Home Office to obtain the first full, permanent licence for a medical cannabis prescription for Hannah's son Alfie.Since then he has turned his attention to improving education around cannabis, setting up the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants with Hannah, and has shared his knowledge and insight with doctors around the world.He reveals how growing up with a sister who was profoundly disabled  - and a campaigning mother - inadvertently shaped his future, what it's like to be thrust into the limelight as an 'expert' in such a new field, and what needs to change to improve things for patients today. ----Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants.Join Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue. Edited by Sarah Sinclair Artwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Medical cannabis experts, Professor Mike Barnes and campaigner Hannah Deacon sit down with their guests to find out why cannabis matters to them.---In the penultimate episode of the series, Mike turns the microphone on Hannah to hear about her journey to becoming one of the UK's most prominent cannabis campaigners. After never really finding her niche, with short-lived careers in travel and hairdressing, Hannah managed to turn the grief and pain of having a child diagnosed with intractable epilepsy into a positive and along the way discovered her passion. Having successfully campaigned to change the law in 2018 and secured the first permanent licence for a medical cannabis prescription for her son Alfie, she now continues to fight on behalf of End Our Pain, and the dozens of families in the UK who still do not have affordable access to cannabis on the NHS.She has also forged a career in the sector as a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants, but has still faced criticism from others on social media.Hannah shares how she coped with being thrown into the spotlight, the toll her experiences have taken on her mental health and what she's learned about herself along the way.PLEASE NOTE: This episode touches on mental health, suicide and facing the possibility of losing a child.---Mike obtained the first medical cannabis licence in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Join Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue. Edited by Sarah Sinclair Artwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with their guests to find out why cannabis matters to them.---After studying biomedical science in Belfast, Ryan McCreanor worked as a toxicology scientist  on one of the first commercially available testing kits for synthetic cannabis, which at the time was being sold as legal highs known as "Spice".After quitting his job for a stint of travelling he landed in Canada around the time of the legalisation of cannabis for adult-use.  Ryan got a job working for the Government on British Columbia's first ever cannabis customer care team, answering questions from members of the public about the law change. He worked his way up and eventually found himself travelling the country to train staff at new Government cannabis dispensaries.Now Ryan has brought his knowledge back to the  UK, with the recent launch of Sativa Learning, an online education platform designed to fill the educational gaps in the cannabis sector.  His first course, aimed at the CBD industry, went live last month. Ryan covers everything from Novel Foods and regulations to tackling misinformation on social media - and how Canada ultimately changed his opinion of cannabis. ---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Join Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue. Edited by Sarah Sinclair Artwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with their guests to find out why cannabis matters to them. ---Peter Reynolds is a writer, consultant and lifelong cannabis campaigner.  An expert in the science, medicine, law and politics of cannabis, he has been fighting for legalisation for more than 30 years since his first experience of the plant as a teenager.  However, it was meeting patients, for whom cannabis was a life-saving medicine, that really fired his determination.   In 2011 he was elected leader of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance which, using his expertise in marketing, he rebranded and relaunched as CLEAR Cannabis Law Reform, now the longest established cannabis group in the UK. As well as heading up CannaPro, the UK trade association for medicinal cannabis, CBD and hemp companies, has recently taken a role as secretary of the newly-formed Irish Medicinal Cannabis Council.Peter discusses what he has learned through his years of campaigning - including the toll that social media trolls and hate campaigns took on his mental health - and how we move forward from the current barriers to access. ---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Join Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue. Edited by Sarah Sinclair Artwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with their guests to find out why cannabis matters to them. ---Stephen  Murphy is co-founder and managing director of Prohibition Partners, the leading source of intelligence and insights into the global cannabis industry, as well as co-founding   Europe's premier medical cannabis conference, Cannabis Europa.He began his career in advertising working with brands such as Guinness, Coca-Cola and even a stint selling Ben & Jerry's ice cream, before moving into the cannabis space . But as a lifelong advocate of cannabis legalisation, it has always been more than just a day job.Stephen talks to Hannah and Mike about how the industry has changed him, from becoming more politically motivated and dealing with negativity, to the privilege of working alongside those he is inspired by and wanting to leave the world in a better place.  ---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Join Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue. Edited by Sarah Sinclair Artwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with their guests to find out why cannabis matters to them. ---In July 2010, Callie Blackwell’s eldest son, Deryn, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and just 18 months later a rarer, more aggressive form of cancer, Langerhans Cell Sarcoma. After years of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and failed bone marrow transplants, 10 days after his 14th birthday, Deryn was given just three days to live. Then, after looking for alternatives to morphine to relieve some of his pain in those final days, Callie gave him illegal cannabis oil.Five years on, Deryn is now a young adult and proudly declared himself ‘illegally alive’ to politicians in 2018. After seeing how the plant saved her son’s life, Callie has become one of the UK’s leading cannabis activists and advocates and continues to help others access treatments. Callie shares her journey with Hannah and Mike, covering everything from how it feels to be told your child isn't going to make it, to experiencing mental health issues, learning to put up boundaries and finding a purpose and passion in the darkest moments of her life. ---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Join Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients.Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue. Edited by Sarah Sinclair Artwork by Sophie Dinsdale

Medical cannabis experts and advocates, Hannah Deacon and Professor Mike Barnes, sit down with some of those at the forefront of cannabis to find out why it matters to them---Our first guest, the Labour MP for Gower, Tonia Antoniazzi, has made it her mission to advocate for medical cannabis in the UK since she was elected in 2017. As well as lobbying her colleagues and playing an influential part in the legalisation of medical cannabis in 2018, she has twice travelled to Holland with the parents of severely epileptic children, to see first hand the lengths they have been forced to go to access their medication.Tonia touched on everything from why this is an issue so close to her heart, to how we get cannabis back on the political agenda.---Hannah helped change the law in 2018 after her successful campaign to enable her epileptic son Alfie Dingley to be legally prescribed cannabis medicines. She continues to help other families access medical cannabis in the UK.  Hannah is also a director of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and Maple Tree Consultants. Mike obtained the first medical cannabis license in the UK for Alfie. He has been involved in the efforts to assist many others and is founder of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society along with Maple Tree Consultants. Join Hannah and Mike as they discover how cannabis has changed their guest’s lives, what makes them tick, why they do what they do and what they think needs to improve for patients. Forget graphs and commercial outlooks and expect open, honest conversations with those at the heart of the issue. Edited by Sarah SinclairArtwork by Sophie Dinsdale