Thank You for Booking a Consultation at the Cannabis Clinic
At the Cannabis Clinic, our goal is to empower people to achieve better health and wellness with medicinal cannabis.
Client safety is our priority, so as well as completing the Patient Information Form, we recommend you provide us with your background medical notes before your consultation. This will help to ensure our clinicians provide you with a personalised treatment plan appropriate for your needs.
Your background notes may include a record of your condition (where possible), previous and current other medical conditions, previous adverse reactions to medicines, allergies to medicines and concurrent or recent use of medicines.
Below are options for how you can request and receive your medical history notes and decide which option is best for you.
What You Need to Do Next
If You Are Registered (Or Able to Register) for your GP Patient Portal
Log into your Manage My Health, Health365 or other patient portal account. Some people log on via their GP clinic’s website.
Instructions for Manage My Health: Once you have logged in to your account, click on “my health records,” then click on “summary”.
When the summary opens, choose the “export to PDF’ option.
Once you have your health summary, email the PDF to [email protected]
Request a Letter of Support from Your GP
Ideally, the Cannabis Clinic will receive a referral letter from your GP before your consultation to enable an informative consultation and smooth prescription processing. PLEASE NOTE: This is only compulsory for some clients. See *** below.
Speak to your GP and explain that you would like a referral letter. Explain the reasons you are seeking such a consultation and a trial of medicinal cannabis. If you are already using cannabis and finding it beneficial, then it is best to convey this to your doctor. Using a medical-grade cannabis product (oil or flower) and avoiding illegal black market cannabis, as well as other specific advice your Cannabis Clinic doctor will discuss with you, is a great way of decreasing harm and improving your health.
If You Are unable to Access Manage My Health
- Email or call your usual general practice asking for a “front page” or other summary of your classifications/medications/allergies, etc. If you are concerned about making this request, you legally do not have to provide a reason for asking for this information.
- A copy of a recent, detailed specialist/outpatient letter may be accepted as part or all the evidence you require, but this is only for exceptional cases.
Email a Request to Your Health Center
You can also copy and paste the following into an email to send to your health centre:
Dear reception or practice nurse,
I am emailing to request a brief summary of my health records, to have on file and pass on if required to other health professionals. Can you please email me my “Front Page” or equivalent summary from my file that includes my classifications, medications I have used, allergies and anything else that may be helpful.
Thanks very much for your help.
Regards,
[Enter your name here]
***If You Ticked Yes (Under 18, Bipolar Disorder, Psychosis, Schizophrenia)
If you are under 18 years old or have a background of bipolar disorder, psychosis, or schizophrenia, the Cannabis Clinic must receive a referral letter (as well as your background medical notes) from your GP/specialist before prescribing medicinal cannabis. This should be before your initial consultation to ensure an informative consultation and smooth prescription processing.
What if I Can’t Access My Background Medical Notes?
While we prefer to have your background medical notes ahead of your consultation, we understand this isn’t always possible. You may still book a consultation with us and discuss with the doctor. We’re here to help.
What to Do When You Receive Your Background Medical Notes
Once you have your notes, please send them to [email protected] along with a copy of your photo ID and your full name. Your ID can be an under-18 card, passport, or driver’s license.
It’s Important That We Receive Your Medical History Notes
Our clinicians will gather information from you during your initial consultation. However, this doesn’t remove our need for access to your medical history from your usual team, where possible. Your notes are particularly important for scripts for THC products, which the Ministry of Health classes as controlled drugs and a drug with abuse potential. According to Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa (the Medical Council of New Zealand), in order to safely prescribe medications, clinicians must collect “adequate knowledge of the patient’s condition” so they can comply with New Zealand law requirements.
Your Code of Rights
Unfortunately, due to a lack of clinical evidence or the outdated stigma that often surrounds medicinal cannabis, some of our clients have been dismissed or had had a negative discussion around cannabis with their usual general practitioner (GP) in the past and are reluctant to seek referral or notes from their GP. As part of The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights, you have the right to be treated with respect and freedom from discrimination, coercion, harassment and exploitation.
Please note: as part of the Health Information Privacy Code you have legal rights to your health information FREE of charge.
Clinicians may occasionally require further information from you or your team, depending on the outcome of your consultation.
Our experienced doctors and nurses are here to help you on your journey to a better life. If you require assistance or extra support, please get in touch with our friendly team. You can email [email protected] or call us on 0800 CBD OIL (0800 223 645). We are here to help.
PLEASE NOTE: You can also download this information as a printable PDF document here.