Medicann’s Pharmacy Switch Has Left Patients With Worse Prescription Proof

Last updated on August 4, 2026

Medicann patients say they’re receiving poorer prescription evidence following the clinic’s switch from IPS Pharma to Clarity DSP.

Under the previous arrangement, deliveries included a paper copy of the prescription as well as a dispensing label attached to the container holding the medication. Since Clarity DSP took over dispensing, patients have reported that the paper prescription has disappeared, while some labels have been placed on removable cardboard boxes.

Medicann now directs patients to a document available through its online portal. Although it contains the patient’s medication and dosage information, it doesn’t visibly identify Medicann, the prescribing clinician or the dispensing pharmacy.

One patient published the document, photographs of the packaging and Medicann’s responses in a post on the UK medical cannabis subreddit.

The paper prescription is no longer included

Medicann previously sent prescriptions to IPS Pharma. The patient behind the Reddit complaint said their deliveries included a paper prescription and that the dispensing label was attached directly to the container holding the medication.

Their first delivery following the move to Clarity DSP arrived without the paper prescription. The label had also been attached to the cardboard outer box rather than the container inside it.

When the patient complained, Medicann said paper copies were no longer routinely included and directed them to the electronic prescription available through its portal.

Medicann also said:

We are currently working on improving the format of the electronic prescription.

The current portal document is headed “REPRINT 1”. It includes the patient’s details, prescribed product, quantity and dosage directions, but doesn’t visibly show:

Medicann’s name or contact details;
the prescribing clinician’s name;
the clinician’s professional registration details;
the dispensing pharmacy;
a prescriber’s signature; or
a way for somebody outside Medicann to verify it.

When the patient asked for a copy of the signed prescription sent to the pharmacy, Medicann said it couldn’t provide one.

The issue isn’t whether an official prescription needs elaborate branding. Medicann is telling patients to use this printout as proof of prescription, yet somebody reading it outside the portal can’t see who issued it, who prescribed the medication or which pharmacy dispensed it.

The dispensing label was left on the outer box

The photographs published with the complaint show the patient-specific dispensing label attached to the removable cardboard box. The glass container holding the cannabis wasn’t individually labelled.

The patient sent photographs to Medicann and asked it to raise the issue with Clarity DSP. Medicann later replied:

We’ve discussed this with the pharmacy, who have confirmed that applying the dispensing label to the outer packaging is acceptable and compliant.

That means the patient must keep the cardboard box with the medication if they want the dispensing label to remain attached to the original packaging. If they leave the box at home, the container they’re carrying doesn’t display their name or prescription details.

This becomes less practical when a patient has several prescribed products or needs to carry medication in a pocket or small bag.

Police guidance starts with the original packaging

The placement of the label is particularly relevant because NPCC-approved guidance tells police officers to ask for the original packaging in which the cannabis was provided.

Officers are then told to look for the dispensing label, which contains information about the medicine and the patient. A prescriber’s letter or copy of the original prescription can provide further evidence, although patients aren’t legally required to carry either document.

Where packaging, labelling or other documentation isn’t available, the guidance says officers may consider contacting the prescriber or clinic.

Our previous article examines the police guidance in detail. The complete Medicinal Cannabis and the Police guidance can be read here.

Some patients transfer cannabis supplied in plastic tubs or resealable pouches into airtight glass jars because they consider them better for storage. Others responding to the Medicann complaint said they remove labels from outer boxes and attach them to the immediate container.

Neither option matches the position described in the police guidance. A storage jar isn’t the original packaging, while a transferred label is no longer attached where the dispensing pharmacy placed it.

Medicann’s own travel advice also tells patients to keep their medication in its original pharmacy packaging with their name and dispensing label visible.

Other patients have reported the same change

Several people responding to the Reddit post said they’d also stopped receiving the paper prescription previously included with Medicann deliveries.

One patient said they normally presented the paper prescription at work and had been told to carry it. Another needed a copy for an event and contacted Clarity DSP directly after Medicann refused to provide one. A third reported receiving no paper prescription, no prescribing clinician’s signature and no pharmacy details.

Other contributors said they’d already contacted Medicann about the limited information shown on the downloadable document.

There were different views about the packaging. Some people considered the cardboard box easy enough to carry, while others said they routinely moved dispensing labels onto the container or pouch themselves. The discussion does, however, confirm that multiple patients noticed the loss of the paper prescription after the pharmacy changed.

A simpler fix

Medicann could improve the portal document by adding the clinic’s details, the prescriber’s name and registration information, the dispensing pharmacy and a reference which can be independently checked.

Until that’s available, patients who need stronger evidence could be given a suitable prescription confirmation document. Clarity DSP could also place the dispensing label on the container holding the medication or use duplicate labels where both the container and outer box need one.

Patients previously received a paper prescription and, in the case documented on Reddit, a label attached directly to the medication container. The new process gives them less information and makes the original packaging harder to carry without solving any identifiable problem for the patient.

Sources

OdinForce22, “Medicann’s unacceptable prescription ‘proof’ and labelling”, r/ukmedicalcannabis.
Association of Police Controlled Drug Liaison Officers, Medicinal Cannabis and the Police.
The Reasonable Adjustment, NPCC-Approved Medical Cannabis Guidance.
Medicann published travel guidance.