About Emily Fisher, Founder and CEO
Emily Fisher is the Founder and CEO of Leafwell, a healthcare technology platform advancing clinically guided cannabis therapy as a trusted component of modern employer health benefits. A breast cancer survivor and patient advocate, Emily founded Leafwell to replace the “alternative therapy” stigma with medical rigor, standardized protocols, and clinical oversight.
Under her leadership, Leafwell has supported more than 500,000 patients, generating one of the industry’s largest real-world datasets on cannabis outcomes. Emily works closely with employers and benefits leaders to position cannabis therapy as a measurable healthcare intervention. Her focus is on establishing clinical oversight and data-driven governance that aligns with corporate safety standards, accountability, and the broader goal of improving total cost-of-care.
About Leafwell
Leafwell is a leading health-tech platform dedicated to integrating medical cannabis into mainstream healthcare. By combining a national clinical network with proprietary research capabilities and a unique cannabis benefit model, Leafwell provides employers and patients with evidence-based, clinical-first care that measurably improves outcomes and reduces costs. Founded in 2019 by Emily Fisher — a 2x breast cancer survivor — Leafwell has served more than 700,000 patients, published 10 peer-reviewed studies, and built the largest cannabis dispensary discount network in the United States. In 2026, Leafwell launched its employer-sponsored benefit: a compliance-safe, data-backed alternative to high-cost pharmaceutical pathways for chronic pain, cancer care, sleep disorders, and mental health conditions. Leafwell is the trusted bridge between clinical cannabis and standard medical care.
Medical Travel & Digital Health News (MTDHN): Please tell us about yourself and your company.
Emily Fisher (EF): I’m the founder of Leafwell, and we’re on a mission to bring medical cannabis into mainstream healthcare.
Leafwell is the leading platform for clinically guided cannabinoid therapy in the United States.
Through our physician-led telehealth platform, we help patients safely access personalized cannabinoid therapy for conditions like chronic pain, cancer treatment side effects, anxiety, PTSD, and sleep disorders.
Everything we do is grounded in research and real-world evidence. Since 2019, we’ve helped more than 700,000 patients and published 10 studies on the impact of medical cannabis.
For me, this mission is deeply personal. I’m a two-time breast cancer survivor, and over a decade ago, I tried cannabis out of desperation to manage pain from countless operations and complications. It gave me my life back.
But what struck me wasn’t just that cannabis worked—it was that I was left to figure everything out on my own. That experience changed the course of my life.
I founded Leafwell because I believe patients deserve better. Medical cannabis should be a trusted, accessible option available to patients at the start of their journey, not a last resort.
MTDHN: Medical cannabis has historically operated outside traditional healthcare systems. How is Leafwell working to integrate cannabis into mainstream healthcare delivery?
EF: There’s an abundance of evidence supporting medical cannabis, but patients have largely been left to navigate it on their own. Imagine being diagnosed with high blood pressure and then being told to go to a pharmacy and guess which medication to take and at what dose—that’s essentially how cannabis has operated for years.
At Leafwell, we’re changing that. We bring clinical rigor through physician oversight and evidence-based protocols, end-to-end care, and are integrating cannabinoid therapy into employer-sponsored healthcare.
Ultimately, our vision is simple: medical cannabis should be treated like every other medicine—prescribed responsibly, monitored carefully, and measured by outcomes.
MTDHN: What role does telehealth play in improving access to medical cannabis, particularly for patients with chronic conditions or mobility challenges?
EF: Telehealth is fundamental because it removes barriers to care for patients living with chronic pain, mobility challenges, cancer treatment side effects, PTSD, and other debilitating conditions.
But it’s about more than convenience. It enables continuity of care—we can monitor symptoms, adjust dosing, and optimize treatment over time. It also gives patients access to specialized cannabis clinicians, regardless of where they live.
Ultimately, telehealth makes expert, personalized cannabis care both accessible and scalable.
MTDHN: How is Leafwell leveraging technology to create more personalized treatment plans for patients?
EF: We combine technology, physician expertise, and one of the largest real-world datasets in medical cannabis to deliver truly personalized care.
We don’t just treat a diagnosis—we consider each patient’s symptoms, medications, goals, lifestyle, job, and previous experience to create an individualized treatment plan.
As patients report outcomes over time, we continuously optimize treatment, creating smarter protocols and better results. The more we learn, the better care becomes—not just for one patient, but for everyone.
MTDHN: What conditions are you seeing generate the most interest among patients seeking medical cannabis therapy today?
The greatest interest is coming from patients living with chronic conditions that have limited treatment options or where existing therapies come with significant side effects or long-term risks.
The most common conditions we see include chronic pain, cancer treatment side effects, anxiety, PTSD, depression, and sleep disorders. These are also some of the biggest drivers of polypharmacy, absenteeism, reduced productivity, and rising healthcare costs.
These are conditions where patients often feel they’ve run out of options. They’re not looking for another pill—they’re looking for a better quality of life, and clinically guided cannabinoid therapy can help provide that.
MTDHN: How can healthcare organizations better measure the long-term value of medical cannabis interventions?
EF: The question isn’t, ‘Did a patient use cannabis?’ It’s, ‘Did they get better?’
We should measure what matters: improved symptoms, fewer medications, lower healthcare utilization, and healthier, more productive lives.
Ultimately, value isn’t whether someone uses cannabis, it’s whether they experience better outcomes and an improved quality of life. That’s how we’ll prove the long-term value of cannabinoid therapy.
MTDHN: Let’s change gears to policy and regulation. What regulatory changes would have the greatest impact on patient access and clinical research?
EF: Rescheduling recognized that cannabis is medicine. Now we need to treat it like medicine and we now need the healthcare infrastructure to catch up.
That means standardized products, more clinical research, and reimbursement pathways so patients can access the right therapy based on evidence—not their ability to pay.
MTDHN: More employers are exploring innovative health benefits. Why should employers be paying attention to medical cannabis now?
EF: Employers should be paying attention because the conditions driving healthcare costs—chronic pain, anxiety, PTSD, sleep disorders, and cancer treatment side effects—are the same conditions where clinically guided cannabinoid therapy is showing real promise.
Better symptom management can mean fewer medications, lower healthcare utilization, and healthier, more productive employees. And as employees increasingly seek personalized, holistic approaches to care, employers have an opportunity to offer a benefit that improves wellbeing while potentially reducing total healthcare costs.
Medical cannabis isn’t just an alternative therapy—it’s emerging as a population health strategy.
MTDHN: What concerns do employers typically raise when considering a medical cannabis benefit? How does Leafwell address these concerns and ensure that medical cannabis is incorporated responsibly within a broader health and wellness strategy?
EF: Employers typically ask three questions: Is it safe? Is it compliant? And does it work? That’s exactly where Leafwell comes in.
There’s a misconception that medical cannabis means impairment, but physician-guided therapy is about improving health and function, not getting people high. We carefully manage dosing, safety, and drug interactions to minimize side effects.
Employers also worry about navigating a patchwork of state regulations. Leafwell simplifies that complexity with a consistent, compliant, end-to-end care model.
And finally, employers want proof that a benefit works. That’s why we continuously measure outcomes, healthcare utilization, and quality of life to demonstrate real clinical and economic value.
Ultimately, we see medical cannabis not as a standalone benefit, but as part of a broader strategy to build a healthier, more productive workforce.
MTDHN: What’s one thing healthcare leaders, employers, and policymakers still misunderstand about medical cannabis that you wish they better understood?”
EF: The biggest misconception is that medical cannabis is just an alternative therapy. It’s not. When delivered under physician guidance, it’s a population health strategy. Better symptom control
means fewer ER visits, less reliance on high-risk medications, and healthier, more productive people. The real value isn’t the cannabis—it’s avoiding the expensive consequences of poorly managed chronic disease.