Dr. Sue Sisley was supposed to lead a research project at the University of Arizona that explored how medical marijuana affects PTSD. Unfortunately for Dr. Sisley, and those who would have benefitted from her research, the University of Arizona terminated her employment prior to the start of the research project. Dr. Sisley appealed her termination, and this week the University of Arizona denied her appeal.
The private funders of the research project have stated that if she didn’t get her job back, that they would pull funding for the project and send their money to a different university. There was a lot of backlash after Dr. Sisley’s termination, and I expect there to be even more now that her appeal was denied. Military veterans are leading the outcry. Per NBC News:
Some of Sisley’s supporters argue her dismissal embodies barriers that have long blocked marijuana from the medical mainstream. Those obstacles include, her backers say, a federal “monopoly” that chooses which scientists can investigate cannabis — and controls the price for exam-grade pot.
Sisley’s loudest fans are veterans who see hope in her planned study. They include Ricardo Pereyda, an Arizona alumnus diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder after serving in Iraq. His online petition, dubbing Sisley’s firing “immoral and unpatriotic,” has amassed nearly 100,000 signatures.
One of my pet peeves when it comes to medical marijuana opponents is when they say that they don’t support medical marijuana because there needs to be more research. Then these same opponents do everything they can to thwart any research. This happens way too often. If opponents truly wanted more research, they would allow it to happen and live with the results. But deep down they know that truth and science is not on their side, which is why they do everything they can to prevent research.
