Summary: AZ Family reports that veterans will gather at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting on April 9 to publicly voice their support for MAPS’ upcoming clinical study of marijuana for PTSD. The organized advocacy efforts of veterans is inspired by Principal Investigator Dr. Sue Sisley’s prior work to conduct MAPS’ marijuana study at a Arizona State University (ASU), though MAPS and Dr. Sisley are no longer pursuing research at ASU and will conduct the study at a private location in Arizona.
Originally appearing here.
There are new developments in the controversial firing of a University of Arizona researcher.
Just as this doctor was set to start a landmark study involving treating veterans suffering from PTSD with medicinal marijuana, she was fired.
But now, some of the vets she was trying to help are trying to get her job back.
The Board of Regents will be meeting at Arizona State University on Thursday and veterans planned to show up in support of Dr. Sue Sisley, who lost her job last year.
After years of trying, she received FDA approval to launch the first major study of its kind, but she was let go, she says, because of the controversial nature of her work.
Combat veteran James Anderson will appeal to the board on Thursday. He thinks PTSD/marijuana research is needed to help prevent veteran suicides.
“We have experts in the field telling us that 22 veterans a day are killing themselves,” Anderson said. “It’s not necessarily just people my age. It’s veterans from the Vietnam era that are doing this and it’s really sad that something as harmless as marijuana can be so beneficial to them and this research is getting stonewalled.”
Anderson has a medical marijuana card and would rather use cannabis than pills.
“For a lot of soldiers with PTSD, they like to prescribe us SSLs, serotonin selective inhibitors,” Anderson said. “These have been proven to be very dangerous to people and can have adverse effects, such as impotence, rapid weight gain, possibly even homicidal and suicidal thoughts, which we don’t need any of our veterans feeling during such a vulnerable time being out of the service, trying to adjust back to normal life.”
Anderson has a message for the board.
“I want them to stop stonewalling Dr. Sue Sisley,” he said. “I feel as if they’re either scared of this research or they don’t want it to happen and as a vet I’m insulted at that mere thought and I just want them to be honest with us. Let me know if they’re scared of this or if they don’t want it to happen.”
Veterans on campus are planning a big of a rally to support the research, which they find to be so important.
