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8 min read
Lucy MacKinnon
As a medical cannabis clinic, one question we get asked a lot is ‘what kind of doctors prescribe cannabis?’. And it turns out, a variety of different doctors can prescribe medical cannabis to eligible patients in the UK, and Releaf is proud to have a clinical team that reflects this.
This includes specialist doctors like Neurologists, or Psychiatrists, as well as doctors who have specialised in General Medicine, and General Practitioners (GPs). To support them, we also have a comprehensive team of nurses, pharmacists, and specialist patient support staff to ensure we can meet a wide range of patient needs - without compromising on quality.
So, to give you a clearer understanding of who can prescribe medical cannabis in the UK, and what kind of doctors you’ll find at Releaf, this blog acts as a breakdown of some of the key players in our clinical team, explaining their expertise and experience. This way, you’ll know a bit more about who may appear on the screen in front of you.
Contrary to popular belief, GPs can prescribe medical cannabis in the UK at private medical cannabis clinics like Releaf.
While NHS General Practitioners are usually people’s first point of contact when their health has declined, they cannot issue initial prescriptions for medical cannabis flower, or cannabis oil. But, those working for private clinics can, and do, prescribe cannabis-based medicines to patients who are eligible under shared care agreements.
At Releaf, we have several GPs on board, including Dr Maria Knöbel, Dr Harrison Offiong, and Dr Michael Taylor. As GPs, these doctors have experience in treating a vast range of conditions and play a key role in patient care, using their broad expertise and understanding of holistic care to support and guide many patients through their medical cannabis journey.
Dr Maria Knöbel is internationally board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine, has authored peer-reviewed papers, medical text-books, and lectured at Medical Schools. As well as having extensively travelled working as a doctor in Switzerland, Austria, South Africa, and the UK, Dr Maria Knöbel has special interests in Sports Medicine, Menopause care, and Digital Health.
Meanwhile, Dr Harrison Offiong is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners who has nine years of experience as a GP, and four years of experience in medicinal cannabis prescription. He is dedicated to providing guidance and education to Releaf patients and designing bespoke patient treatment care plans to enhance health outcomes for a large range of conditions.
Dr Michael Taylor is a currently working as a GP registrar and holding appointments with Releaf patients. He has also been involved in research for a number of years, is a published author, and is a member of the British Association of Sports and Exercise Medicine. But Dr Taylor’s biggest passion is helping patients find an effective way to live the lives they want to, benefiting their physical and emotional wellbeing.
As well as having a number of GPs, we also have a number of doctors on board who are specialists in General Medicine or Emergency Medicine. Due to their backgrounds working in urgent, fast-paced environments, these doctors are well versed in managing the severe or critical needs associated with a wide range of health conditions.
For example, Dr. David Tang graduated from Guy’s, King’s, and St Thomas’ Medical School and has served as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine since 2021. As well as being Releaf’s Clinical Director, Dr Tang has a special interest in musculoskeletal and chronic conditions that have not responded well to standard treatments.
Similarly, Dr Alexander Van Heerden has eight years of experience in treating both acute and chronic conditions while working in Emergency Medicine. This means he has a comprehensive understanding of patient care in high-pressure environments, and the importance of delivering bespoke, personalised care.
Dr Crystal Hamel-Smith is another Releaf doctor who has previously worked in Emergency Medicine as a Senior Emergency Physician. Now focused on integrating cannabis medicines into mainstream healthcare, Dr Hamel-Smith brings with her 13 years of experience in acute and general internal medicine, anaesthetics, ITU, and general practice.
As well as having numerous doctors who specialise in General Medicine, at Releaf we also have several medical cannabis consultants who are specialists in specific areas, such as Oncology, and Rheumatology, to ensure we can provide more tailored care to those with complex conditions.
For example, Dr Hanna Gul is now Releaf’s Research and Quality Lead and a Consultant Medical Doctor, but she’s also a board certified Rheumatologist who has 14 years of experience working in NHS rheumatology departments.
Dr Gul holds a Master’s in Musculoskeletal Science from Oxford University, and is pursuing a PhD in Medicine at the University of Leeds while holding appointments with Releaf patients who are managing conditions like osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, and other chronic pain syndromes.
Meanwhile,Dr Vijay Delaffon is a consultant psychiatrist who has over ten years experience in treating psychiatric conditions. After practising within the medical cannabis field for a few years, Dr Delaffon joined us earlier this year bringing a wealth of knowledge with him and a particular interest in addiction psychiatry, which he has previously specialised in.
Now Dr Delaffon is committed to helping those struggling with mental health conditions improve their quality of life by understanding the mental health challenges they face, and how medical cannabis can be safely and effectively incorporated into patient treatment plans.
Dr Susan Jane Clenton is another specialist we have on board. As well as serving as Releaf’s Medical Director, Dr Clenton is an Oncologist with over 20 years experience treating various tumour types and managing both cancer-related and non-cancer-related symptoms.
Previously serving as the Medical Governance Lead for cancer services at her NHS trust, Dr. Clenton's primary goal at Releaf is to broaden patient access to medical cannabis and to offer patients a complementary treatment option that can work hand-in-hand with traditional approaches.
Bringing over a decade’s worth of experience in neurology, and two in the medical cannabis field, Dr Michal Modestowicz joined Releaf earlier this year as a Consultant Neurologist.
Dedicated to improving the quality of life for patients and helping to break the stigma surrounding cannabis-based treatments, Dr Modestowicz regularly designs bespoke and personalised medical cannabis treatment plans for patients living with neurological conditions such as headaches, migraines, multiple sclerosis, polyneuropathy, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and tics.
If you’ve booked an appointment with Releaf to speak about how medical cannabis treatments can be incorporated into palliative care plans, it's likely that your appointment will be with Dr Edith Ubogagu-Israel.
This is because beyond her clinical success with a fellowship at the NHS Executive Leadership Academy, and almost 20 years of experience working in palliative care in private, hospice, and NHS settings, Dr Edith Israel is a well respected voice in healthcare policy, patient rights, and advocating for ethical treatments. She is committed to improving patient care with innovative treatments and a truly compassionate service.
As well as holding appointments with patients, three of our specialist doctors have dual-roles to ensure we’re always the best we can possibly be. This includes Dr David Tang who is Releaf’s Clinical Director, Dr Sue Clenton who is Releaf’s Medical Director, and Dr Hanna Gul who is Releaf’s Research and Quality Lead.
As Clinical Director, Dr David Tang is responsible for allocating subject matter training for all new internal staff, as well as overseeing continued professional development for external healthcare professionals in respect to cannabis-based medicines, and working closely with our technical team to continually improve our bespoke patient platform for patients and practitioners alike.
Dr Sue Clenton, our Medical Director, oversees clinical governance and regulatory compliance, as well as conducting auditing, service delivery and policy procedure reviews. Dr Clenton also ensures every practitioner at Releaf maintains best practices, and promotes our missions and values.
And, as Research and Quality Lead, Dr Hanna Gul is responsible for monitoring the responses we’re collecting to condition-specific screening questionnaires and tools to develop a base of real-life patient data to help further the existing evidence base for cannabis-based therapeutic applications.
By working together, Releaf’s clinical team aim to offer comprehensive care for a wide range of conditions, ensuring our patients have the best possible healthcare experiences by providing specialist expertise and personalised guidance throughout their journeys with medical cannabis.
Whether you’re looking to explore medical cannabis for a complex health condition, or seek specialised, personalised care, Releaf is committed to helping you achieve better health outcomes with compassion and professionalism.
It is important to seek medical advice before starting any new treatments. The patient advisors at Releaf are available to provide expert advice and support. Alternatively, click here to book a consultation with one of our specialist doctors.
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Am I eligible?With five years of journalism and healthcare content creation under her belt, Lucy strives to improve medical cannabis awareness and access in the UK by producing high quality, credible content.
All of our articles are written by medical cannabis experts, guided by strict sourcing guidelines, and reference peer-reviewed studies and credible academic research. Our expert clinical team and compliance specialists provide valuable insights to ensure accuracy when required. Learn more in our editorial policy.
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