Callie Blackwell hadn’t planned to be an advocate for cannabis. But when her 10-year-old son Deryn was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, she became an activist by circumstance.
Deryn successfully beat the disease, however, four years of aggressive treatment left his immune system totally depleted. After he struggled to heal from a fourth bone marrow transplant, Callie turned to giving her son illegal cannabis oil which she believes helped him make a ‘miraculous’ recovery.
Today, Callie is a cannabis activist and author of The Boy in 7 Billion, which details her son’s struggle to beat cancer.
Now aged 19, Deryn and his mother have made it their goal to destigmatize cannabis use and campaign for increased access to medicinal cannabis for patients across the UK. Callie has also continued to illegally source cannabis oil for people who cannot access cannabis treatment because of harsh NHS restrictions.
We caught up with Callie at the Birmingham Hemp and CBD Expo in September to discuss the importance of activism and rumours that Boris Johnson could fully legalise cannabis.
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