Choosing a clinic
What good medical cannabis clinic practice looks like
Good practice is easier to recognise when you know what to expect. Use this checklist to ask better questions about assessment, prescribing oversight, medicine choice, continuity and complaints — without treating any single website claim as proof of quality.
Start with the regulated provider, not the marketing brand.
- Check the legal provider and registered location with the relevant regulator.
- Check who will assess you and whether the prescribing clinician has the required specialist status.
- Look for a clear complaints route and contact information.
- Expect pricing and pharmacy relationships to be explained rather than buried.
A clinical assessment should come before product shopping.
A well-run service should assess your condition, previous treatment, current medicines, relevant risks and clinical goals before medicine selection becomes the focus. A catalogue is not a substitute for specialist clinical oversight.
In a CQC assessment of Winnersh, run by Montu Group UK Ltd and trading as Alternaleaf, published on 27 February 2026, CQC reported that patients were encouraged to choose from the partnered pharmacy's full formulary without guidance on what might suit their condition, and those selections were not reviewed by the specialist responsible for their care. CQC identified a risk that choices might not meet the patient's unmet clinical need. This is one regulator finding about one inspected service; GreenGuruAI does not generalise it to other clinics.
What to expect from a well-run assessment.
- A real review of diagnosis, previous treatments and relevant medical history.
- Enough time to ask questions and understand that prescribing is not guaranteed.
- Clear discussion of risks, benefits and the unlicensed status of medicines where relevant.
- Specialist oversight of clinically significant treatment decisions.
- A process for follow-up, adverse effects, medicine changes and continuity.
- Clear separation between the clinic's clinical role and the dispensing pharmacy's role.
Questions worth asking before paying.
- What is the legal provider name and regulator record?
- Who makes and reviews prescribing decisions?
- How does the service decide which medicine options are clinically appropriate?
- What information will be shared with my GP or other clinicians, and with what consent?
- Which pharmacy is used, and can I understand that relationship before joining?
- What are the full recurring clinic, prescription, delivery and administrative costs?
- How do I obtain my records or transfer care?
- What is the complaints process and where can unresolved concerns go?
Warning signs are about process, not aesthetics.
A polished website, low introductory price or large product range does not establish clinical quality. Pay closer attention to unclear provider identity, guaranteed-treatment language, pressure to choose products before assessment, poor specialist oversight, opaque pharmacy relationships, missing complaints information or difficulty accessing records.
Primary sources
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GreenGuruAI welcomes source-specific corrections and independent review from UK clinicians, pharmacists and solicitors with relevant expertise. Review being invited does not mean review is complete or imminent.
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