Seedsman is saddened to learn cannabis researcher and advocate Amanda Feilding, Countess of Wemyss and March, passed away on May 22nd, 2025, at her home in Beckley Park, Oxfordshire. She leaves behind a transformative legacy as one of the foremost champions of cannabis research and reform. Through decades of tireless work, Amanda Feilding reshaped global discourse around cannabis, advocating for its therapeutic potential, its role in enhancing well-being, and the necessity of drug policies grounded in science and compassion.
Amanda’s professional journey began in the 1960s, when she became a pioneering voice in support of cannabis for cognitive and emotional exploration. At a time when public understanding was limited and stigma pervasive, Feilding argued that cannabis held powerful potential to unlock creativity, improve mood, and enrich spiritual practice. Her early conviction in the concept of cognitive liberty – the individual’s right to explore and modulate their own consciousness – would become a cornerstone of her life’s work.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Amanda conducted independent explorations into the effects of cannabis on mental states and psychological insight. While others feared or dismissed the plant, she embraced it as a valuable instrument of inquiry and self-development. Her advocacy during this era, particularly in calling for greater openness to cannabis within scientific and policy arenas, laid the groundwork for the reforms to come.
Establishing The Beckley Foundation
In 1996, Amanda established The Foundation To Further Consciousness, which would be renamed in 1998 as The Beckley Foundation. Her aim was twofold: to advance scientific investigation into the beneficial properties of psychoactive substances, and to drive progressive policy reform. Cannabis occupied a central place in this mission.
Under her leadership, the Beckley Foundation became a key international platform for cannabis science. Feilding championed the study of cannabis compounds – especially CBD and THC – and their interaction with the human endocannabinoid system. Through this research, she promoted cannabis not only as a therapeutic agent for anxiety, pain, and inflammation, but as a substance with unique potential to support human flourishing.
Drug Policy and Cannabis Advocacy
During the early 2000s, Amanda Feilding turned her attention toward policy reform, organizing influential seminars at the UK’s House of Lords and commissioning pivotal reports on drug law. Many of these focused on the irrational classification of cannabis and the detrimental effects of its prohibitions, and highlighted how criminalization disproportionately harmed communities and failed to account for the drug’s relatively low risk profile. In 2006, Amanda convened a group of the world's leading drug policy analysts to create the Beckley Foundation's Global Cannabis Commission, and would present evidence-based report on how to drive cannabis forward, reforming cannabis policies and regulating a legal market.
As public interest in cannabis surged during the 2010s, Amanda ensured the science kept up. Her foundation collaborated with leading academic institutions to study how different cannabis strains and compounds affect mood, cognition, and pain perception.
Feilding was particularly interested in the synergistic potential of cannabis alongside other substances, and the Beckley Foundation supported research into how cannabis might help reduce opioid use or support people with PTSD and long-term illnesses.
A Life Devoted To Mental Freedom
For Amanda Feilding, cannabis was never just a drug. She saw it as a powerful tool that could help people connect more deeply with themselves and others, to be more creative, and live more mindfully. She believed cannabis should be used with care and respect.
Her rare mix of passion, curiosity, and scientific knowledge helped bring cannabis out of the shadows and into a more thoughtful, accepted space. Thanks to Amanda Feilding, the idea that cannabis can support personal growth and healing is now taken seriously.
Amanda Feilding’s Legacy
Amanda’s work changed how people think about cannabis and helped shape smarter, more compassionate drug laws. She was a tireless researcher, a policy reformer, and a tireless advocate for mental freedom. Her influence can be felt around the world, in research labs, policy circles, and in the lives of people who have found healing through cannabis.
As we remember her, we’re reminded to stay curious, to push for evidence-based solutions, and to believe in the power of plants – and people – to transform lives.
