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.

Marijuana plants grow at Perennial Holistic Wellness Center medical marijuana dispensary on July 25, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif.David McNew / Getty Images file
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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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