On day two of Cannabis Europa, as part of the Business of Cannabis Awards, Maple Tree Director Hannah Deacon was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to the European Cannabis Industry award.
Presented by fellow director Prof Mike Barnes, Hannah was recognised for her incredible contributions to the industry.
"My son inspires me every day. He goes to school, he's learning to read. I can go to work and I have a much better quality of life because my son is well and I'm not worrying about him every day and every night. He's a happy little boy and he inspires me to keep going to every day make sure every patient in this country who could benefit from cannabis can receive it. Thank to all of you who make this industry work. I'm going to be here until it's a complete success."
After the event, Hannah said on X;
"It was lovely having Mike present the award, who we owe so much in stepping up to help Alfie and then together forming The Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, Maple Tree Consultants and Botanical Health Dispensary.
Thank you to Matt Hughes and the MedCan Family Foundation team, we’ve worked and campaigned together for many years now, but have so much more to achieve in reaching our goal of seeing wider NHS access to cannabis medicines for all the families we support and the wider epilepsy community.
Lastly a huge thank you to my family, Drew, Alfie, and Annie who have kept me going in those dark moments, it’s been a roller coaster of a journey which continues.”
Earlier in the day, Hannah took part in a panel discussion about patient access, where she highlighted the difficulty faced by children and adults. She said;
“Patients deserve clinical oversight, and we must remember that doctors are the main players in the medical market, we only have 150 prescribing doctors. We cannot forget these people that need prescriptions whatever, regardless of whether an adult-use market exists. As patients, advocates and business people, we all want more doctors to understand cannabis. I don’t think all doctors need to prescribe cannabis, but I think all of them need to understand the endocannabinoid system.”
Hannah's dedication and passion are truly inspiring, as a professional and also as a mother who has tirelessly advocated for better access to medical cannabis. Her work continues to pave the way for improved patient access and greater understanding within the medical community.
As she rightly points out, the journey is far from over, but with advocates like Hannah Deacon and Prof Mike Barnes, the future looks promising.
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