Main content

Leaf of Life

Episode 3 of 5

Writer Colin Grant looks at the rise, fall and rise again of medical marijuana through the lens of his brother’s epilepsy.

The writer Colin Grant says he carries ‘no lawyer’s brief for marijuana’. Rather, in a landscape in which almost all discussion is polarised, he seeks to explore a range of more nuanced aspects of the drug.

In this third essay of the series, Colin looks at the issue of medical cannabis. He traces the way in which it fell from favour in the 20th century and is now rising again, despite opposition and, as Colin sees it, institutional intransigence.

It is a subject with a particularly strong resonance for Colin’s family. When his brother, Christopher, struggled with prescribed epilepsy medication, he discovered welcome relief through cannabis use. Colin looks at recent research studies, delves back into the history of medical cannabis, and asks - if it was good enough for Queen Victoria, then why not his brother?

Producer: Kirsty Pope
A Far Shoreline production for 91Èȱ¬ Radio 3

Available now

14 minutes

Broadcast

  • Wed 12 Jan 2022 22:45

Death in Trieste

Death in Trieste

A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.

Watch: My Deaf World

Watch: My Deaf World

Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.

The Book that Changed Me

Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.

Download The Essay

Download The Essay

Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.

Podcast