A global revolution in attitudes towards cannabis is under way
The legalisation of the drug for medicinal use is paving the way for a broader liberalisation
THE DOCTOR was blunt with Hannah Deacon, the mother of an epileptic boy. He told her that she would “never” get a prescription on the National Health Service (NHS) for medicine based on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. The British government, too, was unhelpful, maintaining in February 2018 that cannabis had no medical value—a position that it had held for over 50 years, even as the country grew and exported cannabis for medicinal use. Yet within months, it had made a U-turn, accepting that Cannabis sativa had medical uses. Eight months after Ms Deacon made her first public plea for it, her son, Alfie, got THC-based medicine on the NHS.
Legislatures across the planet have been having similar changes of heart. This may presage broader legalisation. History suggests that when medical cannabis is permitted this is often the prelude to broader recreational access.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline "Going to pot"
More from International
Taiwan’s new president faces an upsurge in Chinese coercion
But China’s bullying of Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines risks an explosion
The world’s rules-based order is cracking
Human-rights lawyers are trying to save laws meant to tame violent rulers
Beware, global jihadists are back on the march
They are using the war in Gaza to radicalise a new generation