How do I prepare for the visit ?
The best thing to do is to accumulate all of the previous doctor's records that relate to your illness. It is a good idea to have this information for yourself so that you can always show a new doctor - or judge / lawyer - what it is you have, how it was diagnosed, how long you have had it and how it is being managed ( up to the present time). Additionally, a letter from a current doctor stating the nature of your illness, how long you've had it, and how it is being treated is also adequate. To get help with this process and to determine if you have enough, you can speak with our office staff and they will be able to help you in this matter.

Where can I find marijuana dispensaries ?
This is a question that is asked frequently and unfortunately, we, as doctors, cannot help you with this one. The Federal government specifically forbids us from assisting you in finding where to obtain cannabis. There are many sources of this information and if you search the internet or your phone book it can be found.

Why doesn't Los Angeles have ID Cards ... ?
This is a good question. By law (SB 420) Los Angeles should have already produced an ID card system. However, due to the confusion and conflict regarding Federal laws, this has not happened.

Who is Dr. Paoletti ?
Dr. Paoletti has been a practicing, licensed, physician in California for about 18 years. She obtained her Medical Degree From UC Irvine Medical School of Medicine and completed her Residency at UCLA in 1988. Prior to her degree in Medicine, she both taught Biology and did research for 7 years in the fields of neurology, physiology, and endocrinology at UC Irvine, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. The Cannabinoid system in the human body is one of the many areas of interest that the doctor currently possesses. She is a member of the CCRMG , California Norml and ASA.

What should I expect at the visit?
When you arrive at the office and before the visit, you will be asked to complete our office forms ( if you have not already done by downloading them off of the website). When these are complete, you will see the doctor for about 30 minutes. She will review your records in order to see if you would qualify for her recommendation. If you qualify, she will give you a copy of a note that it is part of your record and can serve as your "recommendation" under California State Law.

When does my letter expire and why?
The letter of recommendation that patients are given depend on the individual's circumstance. If all of the conditions are met, they are usually given for a full year. However, if information is missing the issuing of the letter may be postponed until we receive the full set documents needed to establish that you are a candidate for a cannabis recommendation.

Once issued, your letter will expire in one year from the time of its issuance . The reason that the letter is given for only a year is that the California Medical Board requires that we re-evaluate patients on at a yearly basis given the possibility of side effects, new treatments and/or remissions. In any event the Board requires that the individual be re-evaluated to see if their condition merits the continuance of this recommendation on a yearly basis.

What happens if I do not qualify?
You can either decide 1)to leave and a charge of $25.00 will be deducted from your refund for our time in evaluating your case or 2) you can stay and the fee will apply to a visit during which you will be given detailed information about what is really needed and how to get it. You will be given a promissory note at the end of this second option visit which promises that we will forward to you your recommendation as soon as you fulfill the necessary requirements that were outlined to you during the visit.

Does the Office Accept Insurance?
Insurance companies do not pay for cannabis consults so we do not recommend that you attempt to get reimbursement. We are not providers for the plans at this time and we would need to collect your payment at the time of service in any case. We accept credit cards, debit cards and cash for your convenience.

Do We Provide Caregiver Certificates?
The decision as to who will be your caregiver is between you and the caregiver. We only issue medical cannabis recommendations when appropriate and cannot participate in the caregiver decision.

What was the recent FDA decision and what does it mean?
The recent FDA decision can be found at the following link: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01362.html. The FDA is claiming that there is no evidence for the medical use of cannabis under any circumstances. The FDA issued this report in response to many inquiries from Capital Hill. This has been described as political move since many supporters have been petitioning the FDA to help with the current stance of the Administration and the DEA. Although the FDA has issued this report, it is thought that it will be unlikely that the agency will issue any enforcement of this stance since this is the job of the DEA. The DEA has already made it known that it will and can arrest anyone in possession of cannabis for any reason.

In this regard this report doesn't appear to be drastically new. The only result of this is that we now know that the FDA will not enter the argument of cannabis as a medicine on the side of its supporters. The FDA's failure to support the use of medical marijuana flies in direct opposition to a finding by a scientific committee made in 1999: "The Food and Drug Administration statement directly contradicts a
1999 review by the Institute of Medicine, a part of the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's most prestigious scientific advisory agency. That review found marijuana to be "moderately well suited for particular conditions, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and AIDS wasting." By Gardiner Harris
Source: New York Times on April 20, 2006 at 19:48:26 PT

Can my records be released to anyone other than myself?
The best explanation to this question is offered in the Privacy section of this website. Below is a copy of the leading paragraphs:

When dealing with a medical cannabis letter of recommendation, privacy is first and foremost on our minds. We do not release records to anyone without the prior written consent of the individual in question. In the event of a governmental attempt to obtain records by an outside party (read The Use and Disclosure Under Certain Circumstances on web page "Privacy Policy"), we will do our best to contact all concerned to offer them an opportunity to protest through their own individual attorneys.


In 1996 congress passed HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and implemented it in 2004. This law was originally designed to protect the individuals' personal privacy. Although California has always had progressive privacy laws, there were many other states in the Union which did not have such laws, thus, in principal, HIPAA was a good law. Prior to its implementation, however, the administration's desire for "National Security" caused an exception clause to be inserted into this new protective law. The act now has a clause which states that the government may take ( for an unspecified amount of time) ones personal information such as medical records " in order to protect the President, other officials, or foreign heads of state, or to conduct investigations (not specified)." In our opinion this last clause (D-7 under the "Privacy Policy" web page) essentially gives the federal government a cart blanche to your records.