How Veriheal Is (Still) Setting The Standard For Cannabis Care

Once upon a time, two friends were fed up. Weed is literally a plant. It’s a medicine. Why is it so damn hard to get? 

In response, the pair did what most brave and frustrated 20-somethings would do: they looked at each other, and said, “Let’s just do it ourselves.” 

And so, in 2017, Joshua Green and Samuel Adetunji left their stable jobs working for a Fortune 500 company to follow a gut feeling and a good idea. The pair founded the company that would become Veriheal – and altered the course of cannabis history forever.  

In the years that followed, their two-person team grew to span the globe. The Veriheal team is small (under 100 people) but widespread, joining minds from seven countries who are all driven by the same vision: to remove shame from healthcare.

Together, they’ve helped over 1.5 million people safely access medical cannabis. Since 2017, they’ve worked from the frontlines as the nation gained sixteen new medical cannabis programs. They educated, listened, and lobbied as nineteen states legalized recreational cannabis. The company that started with cannabis has grown to include other areas of wellness that have long been stigmatized, from psychedelic therapy to weight loss and addiction management. 

But one thing remains the same: the Veriheal team stays committed to making the world a better place

Through developing groundbreaking technology to unapologetic advocacy, Veriheal has been a guiding hand in a massive cultural shift. What began as hushed conversations and slammed doors became the blueprint for how the nation navigates medical cannabis. 

THE TECH THAT CHANGED THE NATION 

In 2017, virtual doctor’s appointments for cannabis patients were practically unheard of. Outdated, paper-heavy systems still dominated much of the medical cannabis process. But long before the pandemic forced the healthcare industry to adapt, Veriheal had already built the kind of digital infrastructure the medical cannabis space desperately needed. 

“When we started Veriheal, medical cannabis was still in a weird gray zone — legal in some places, heavily stigmatized in others,” said co-founder Josh Green. “I remember how nervous patients were to even ask questions, let alone get access. There was a lot of shame, a lot of misinformation, and almost zero tech.” 

In response to these obstacles, Green and Adetunji led their team to develop proprietary technology tailored to the unique needs of cannabis patients and physicians. While many healthcare startups relied on existing software, Veriheal developed a custom electronic medical records (EMR) system completely in-house. 

But the innovation didn’t stop there. The team went beyond the conventional EMR format, integrating features specifically designed to support medical cannabis treatment. These enhancements allowed doctors to organize their patient base and personalize cannabis recommendations for the individuals they were working with, helping to legitimize cannabis as a serious therapeutic option. It also allowed patients to feel safe and secure, knowing their personal health information was private and protected in a sector that had been underserved by traditional health tech. 

READ: Baiyina Abdas Talks Veriheal History, Black Leadership in Cannabis

As the first platform of its kind, Veriheal was uniquely positioned to shift to telehealth instantly when medical marijuana was deemed an essential service in 2020. While others scrambled to adjust, Veriheal was already there, connecting patients to care without disruption and setting a new standard for accessibility in the process. 

MORE THAN JUST TECH

As the world adjusted to post-pandemic life – coupled with an unprecedented surge in social media use – the cannabis industry was not exempt from these changes.

The green rush transformed into something more than a push for easier, more dignified access. Instead, it was an opportunity for a new era of entrepreneurs to enter the space, with green in their eyes that had more to do with dollar signs than the plant itself. 

“When we first started in the industry, it was a bit frightening walking into some of these dispensaries that were set up illegally or just didn’t understand the meaning of branding,” said co-founder Samuel Adetunji.  “It seemed they just set up quickly, wanting a quick dollar. The long-term vision was missing.”

Despite the wave of corporate greed that swept through the cannabis industry, Veriheal stayed rooted in its original mission: human-first, stigma-free care. While other companies chased quick profits, the Veriheal team kept building — thoughtfully, intentionally, and always with patients in mind.

“The cannabis industry in our eyes has become more sophisticated and less daunting,” said Adetunji. “We came in wanting to give people a different feel from the start of their journey in the industry until the finish. The ones that aligned with us are still here, and the rest are mostly gone.”

That “different feel” wasn’t just about better software or faster appointments. It was about trust, giving people a space where they felt empowered to explore cannabis without shame or confusion. While others scaled recklessly, Veriheal scaled with purpose. They focused on education, design, and experience, staying grounded in the belief that cannabis care should feel just as professional and respectful as any other form of medicine.

“From then until now, the biggest shift we’ve seen is a cultural shift,” said Joshua Green. “Our generation — and younger ones — started pushing for wellness on our own terms. We’re not afraid to explore alternatives, ask questions, and challenge outdated systems. I think Veriheal helped speed that up by making the cannabis experience as a whole easy, safe, and human.”

THE FUTURE OF VERIHEAL 

As the culture shifted and the platform evolved, so did its purpose. Veriheal became more than a tech solution: it became a place where transparent education, real stories, and unapologetic advocacy could live side by side. 

By giving people knowledge and language for their experiences, Veriheal is still helping to normalize something that had long been pushed to the margins. Their content doesn’t just inform, it invites conversation, challenges stereotypes, and centers lived experience. The Veriheal team is committed to telling stories that aren’t scrubbed clean to fit outdated healthcare ideals but instead embrace the fear, the curiosity, the complexity, and the hope that come with any healing journey. 

In doing so, Veriheal is proving that stigma isn’t dismantled in a day. Rather, it’s undone in education, in representation, and in repeated, radical acts of truth. Veriheal isn’t just meeting patients where they are. Instead, its team remains committed to providing them the tools to claim their wellness journeys with clarity and confidence.

As Veriheal continues to grow, one thing is clear: the technology was only the beginning. Real access (the kind that transforms lives) is more than just a doctor’s appointment and a medical card. It’s knowing what you’re taking and why. It’s safety, clarity, context, and care; asking honest questions and getting honest answers. 

It’s feeling seen.