ITV’s brave decision to screen the 3 part documentary last week during prime time won praise throughout the industry, who celebrated its balanced tone and appreciation for the delicate nuance of the situation. 

And they’re not alone, with critics and the public both warmly empathising with the subjects. After receiving widespread praise for the humanising way in which the narrative follows the real lives of the many “normal’ people who use cannabis oil in one form or another.

That approach; at once both intimate and revealing, allowed the documentary to highlight the scandal of a situation in which all too many are left behind by a mis-led health sector and an uncaring government. 

It provided a harrowing yet much-needed illustration of the futile and arbitrary nature of the drug laws bequeathed to our seemingly unconcerned leaders. Only to become lost in the myriad obstacles a career politician must avoid taking a stance over, lest he be judged for what he believes. 

And the users, as they handled the absurd hurdles placed between them and the substance they relied on, were only ever the good guys,  the rebels. The sane minority speaking out against an insane system.