The Long Read | The Guardian

Sun 17 May 2026

This week's long reads

Green algae on Saint-Michel-en-Grève Beach in Brittany.

‘I couldn’t breathe’

The sinister spread of France’s killer seaweed

Medical cannabis graphic showing a cannabis leaf with a Rod of Asclepius

'He opened his eyes to the world'

After a hard-fought victory to legalise medical cannabis in the UK, why is it still so hard to access?

Discover more stories from the Guardian

This week's podcasts

	Stateside with Kai and Carter: Stacey Abrams on why gutting of the US Voting Rights Act is ‘evil’ – podcast
	Podcast \| 35:14

	‘Lawrence is karma’: the gangster who became an icon of Modi’s India – podcast
	Podcast \| 34:09

Discover more stories from the Guardian

A pick from our archive

A scandal in Oxford

The curious case of the stolen gospel

What links an eccentric Oxford classics don, billionaire US evangelicals, and a tiny, missing fragment of an ancient manuscript? Charlotte Higgins unravels a multimillion-dollar riddle

a face in silhouette on papyrus and black paper

true

A vineyard fumigation tractor in the Bordeaux wine-growing region, France

Grapes of wrath

Has wine gone bad?

Discover more stories from the Guardian

Get in touch

If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com

Manage your newsletter | Unsubscribe | View in browser

You are receiving this email because you opted to receive messages from Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396