Naturaleaf Clinic

Naturaleaf Clinic is a medical cannabis service run by general practitioners, who see patients in person at Your Doctors Leichhardt in Sydney's inner west and at a practice in Annerley, Brisbane. The clinic started with two GPs with an interest in cannabis prescribing, encourages in-person care and offers telehealth for follow-ups. Bookings are made through HotDoc or by phone.

At the first appointment, a double-length consult, the doctor takes a full history, discusses options and, if appropriate, applies through the TGA Special Access Scheme or Authorised Prescriber Scheme; the clinic says approvals take about 48 hours. Scripts go to the patient's phone or email, or are printed on the spot, and can be filled at any pharmacy, with express post usually costing around A$10. The clinic says its doctors can prescribe any product that has passed the relevant verification standards, and that certain mental health histories, including psychosis or drug dependency, lead to prescriptions being declined or revoked. Patients who lack a GP referral can bring a health summary instead.

• Initial consultation: A$250; A$165.10 out of pocket after the Medicare rebate.
• Follow-up: A$98; A$55.15 after the rebate.
• Complex consultation over 20 minutes: A$180.

The clinic estimates medicine costs at A$1 to A$10 a day, depending on brand, pharmacy, formulation and dose. It is one of the more expensive options for a first visit, though Medicare rebates reduce the gap. We found no readable independent review profile.