Desperate parents in the UK are turning to illegal means to obtain full-spectrum cannabis oil to treat their children’s severe epilepsy, as revealed in a BBC investigation. Jane, a mother whose daughter Annie suffers from treatment-resistant epilepsy, has resorted to buying cannabis oil online after being denied an NHS prescription. Annie’s seizures have dramatically reduced since starting the treatment, but Jane admits she is breaking the law to provide her child with a better quality of life.

Medicinal cannabis was legalized in 2018, yet full-spectrum oils containing THC remain unlicensed and rarely prescribed by the NHS. Private prescriptions cost up to £2,000 per month, leaving many families unable to afford them. Some parents even smuggle the oil from countries like the Netherlands, risking prosecution for drug trafficking.

Campaigners argue that government inaction has left families with no safe or affordable options. Read the full investigation on BBC News.