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Pot and PTSD: Arizona Boots Researcher Seeking Cure For Vets

Dr. Sue Sisley contends her June 27 dismissal was spurred by her cannabis research –- and by Arizona lawmakers who don’t support her work.
Los Angeles City Council Votes To Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Marijuana plants grow at Perennial Holistic Wellness Center medical marijuana dispensary on July 25, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif.David McNew / Getty Images file

An ex-University of Arizona researcher –- who in March won federal approval to test marijuana on veterans with PTSD –- said Thursday she hopes the school will reverse her termination as ex-combat troops and scientists express support for her cause. Dr. Sue Sisley contends her June 27 dismissal was spurred by her cannabis research –- and by Arizona lawmakers who don’t support her work. “I want to believe that the U of A cares about scientific freedom,” Sisley said. At the University of Arizona, spokesman Chris Sigurdson said: "We can’t speak on any personnel matters," adding, however, the school remains "committed to ensuring the medical marijuana research gets done." Sisley vows, meanwhile, to wage a legal fight to return to the faculty post she held for eight years. “It was definitely demoralizing,” Sisley said. “But now I see that they’ve really given us a gift. It’s educating people about the barriers to marijuana research, which is all I was trying to do for the last four years."

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