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8 min read
Lucy MacKinnon
This year, we’ve taken a leaf from Spotify’s book and put together a collection of our favourite moments during 2024. As the year draws to a close, here we reflect on our milestones, growth, and most importantly, the transformative difference we’re making for patients.
With a growing community of over 50,000 people, every achievement has had one thing at it’s core: empowering individuals to take control of their health, and find life-changing solutions through Releaf.
From strategic partnerships to ensure uninterrupted treatment plans, to educational events we’ve participated in, to internal initiatives focused on providing an unmatched patient experience - we truly have packed a lot into our first year.
And, we’re eager to continue on this path.
But, before we see in the new year, here’s a recap of what we got up to in 2024:
At the start of this year, our time was focused on making sure all was in order for our official launch in February. We know that starting a new healthcare journey can feel daunting, so we wanted to ensure we offer a seamless and stress-free service.
So during January, we crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s with Xeal to confirm all the medications our doctors prescribe will be dispatched and delivered directly to patients doors without undue delay.
Similarly, we partnered with Omura, to provide patients with access to all the equipment needed to get started with medical cannabis treatments, like Omura’s precision dose controlled heat-not-burn devices.
One month later, Releaf’s clinic officially opened its virtual doors on the 1st of February 2024.
Those who had signed up to our waiting list were offered priority appointments with our team of expert doctors, and patients began to speak to qualified healthcare professionals about their unmet needs using Releaf’s priority health-tech platform.
And this was a big moment.
From individuals with chronic pain, to those with sleep disorders, or inflammatory conditions, as of February 2024, Releaf started to transform lives - by offering easily accessible alternative treatments, and, an unrivalled experience.
As demand and interest in alternative options increased, we began to scale up our clinical and patient support teams to ensure that each and every patient felt supported throughout every step of their journey with Releaf.
From specialist doctors in psychiatry, neurology, rheumatology, oncology and emergency medicine, to more nurses, GPs, pharmacists, and patient support staff, in March we focused on onboarding more brilliant minds and compassionate people to meet this increased demand - without compromising on quality, or, patient experience.
In April, we unveiled our new message house and slogan ‘Your health, your body, your choice’ to showcase why we do what we do.
By putting patients at the heart of everything we do, we’ve made it a priority to empower individuals, and help to spread accurate, reliable, and credible information about cannabis-based medicines, and how these holistic treatments work.
So, instead of medical cannabis being the focal point in our branding, we make the lives we change our focal point - because that is what truly drives us.
Then in May, we held our 1000th consultation.
This represents 1000 incidences of people with chronic health conditions accessing help, support, guidance, and tailored care from qualified healthcare professionals and experts in their fields.
And we think just three months in, that’s pretty remarkable.
One month later, in June, we secured the supply chain for our patients by fostering a UK-first partnership with Glass Pharms ®.
This meant that for the first time ever, patients who live in the UK could access medical cannabis that has been grown in UK, and not just those imported from abroad.
As well as significantly reducing the supply chain in both distance and duration, and ensuring quality control thanks to Glass Pharms’ state-of-the-art facility and AI environment controls, through this strategic partnership we released six branded Releaf cultivars.
This allows us to have complete oversight on these medications stock levels so we can ensure all our patients are prescribed products that are in stock, available, and effective - and their treatment plans remain uninterrupted.
Six months after our official launch, in July, we secured a double page spread in The Weekend Pages to detail the services and support Releaf offers.
And this was only the start of our media adventure.
Since then, we’ve been featured in The Sunday Times, The Mirror, The Daily Star, Manchester Evening News and Irish News, as well as in Prohibition Partners, Business of Cannabis and Leafie, and many, many more.
We’re also extremely proud of our appearances on the BBC. Chief Operating Officer Graham Woodward, and Chief Executive Officer Tim Kirby, were interviewed by BBC Radio Kent and BBC South East Today respectively, to help spread the word about the benefits medical cannabis can have, and explain how it can be accessed in the UK.
Then in August, we held our first educational webinar for MS-UK.
Designed to provide patients, caregivers, loved ones, and healthcare professionals with information on the benefits of medical cannabis for multiple sclerosis symptoms, as well as reliable information on how it can be incorporated into MS treatment plans, our free webinar proved popular with the MS community.
So, we held another in November. And this is only the beginning.
In September, we continued to spread awareness for the wide range of symptoms medical cannabis can interact with by attending and exhibiting at Pause Live, the UK’s largest menopause event and conference.
Our very own Dr Maria Knöbel featured on their official podcast and Instagram live reels, to discuss the potentials of medical cannabis for those going through the menopause such as its benefits on sleep, mood, and pain when applied appropriately.
Meanwhile, Dr Hanna Gul and Dr Crystal Hamel Smith represented Releaf in the education room, offering unique insights, expert opinion, and one-on-one guidance to attendees at our stand.
Much like our partnership with Glass Pharms did for patients on flower-based treatment plans, we wanted to secure a consistent supply chain of quality prescribed cannabis oils for Releaf patients.
And in October, we made that dream a reality by partnering with SOMAÌ Pharmaceuticals.
Now Releaf patients have unprecedented, exclusive, access to SOMAÌ’s versatile range of medical cannabis oils. This includes extracts that are balanced, CBD-heavy, or THC-dominant with varied terpene profiles - all of which are manufactured by SOMAÌ in their GMP compliant facility.
To end the year on a high, we set ourselves an enormous target: a trending takeover to spread the message to the masses: medical cannabis is not only legal - it’s accessible.
And, we’re proud to say we achieved this not just once, but twice, in November alone with our 6YEARSLEGAL and GREENFRIDAY campaigns both trending at number 1 on X on their deployment days.
Designed to address the misconceptions that medical cannabis was not an option in the UK, or that it was too tricky - or costly - to access, these campaigns proved immensely successful, generating an incredible surge in interest in the alternatives, and in Releaf.
And, to finish off the year in the spirit of giving, on the 12th of December our refer-a-friend scheme launched.
Designed to reward those who want to help others, through our refer-a-friend scheme, Releaf patients can receive a £50 Amazon voucher for referring a friend or loved one, if they are found eligible and proceed with treatment through Releaf.
Our final good deed, decision, and development for 2024 is the improvements we’ve made to our patient portal. With a new dashboard implemented last week, our patients can now download digital versions of their prescriptions, generate travel certificates to evidence their prescription when travelling with medical cannabis, and enjoy a more seamless service with a clear overview of their treatment plan from the second they log in.
And, that’s a wrap on 2024.
But don’t worry, we’ve got big plans for 2025.
From all of us here at Releaf,
Happy New Year!
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.
Get comprehensive care, convenience, and confidence with an all-in-one treatment plan.
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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Lucy MacKinnon
