The AZ Daily Sun highlights how MAPS, veterans, and other supporters of Dr. Sue Sisley’s marijuana research are asking the Arizona Board of Regents to help find a new location for the FDA-approved study of medical marijuana for PTSD in veterans. The article discusses the events surrounding Sisley’s termination from the University of Arizona, noting that her official appeal to be reinstated was rejected on July 28, 2014. “[MAPS] has said its money follows Sisley and will not be awarded even if the UA finds some other principal researcher,” writes Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services.
Backers of a would-be medical marijuana researcher are now planning to pressure the Board of Regents to intercede after the University of Arizona will not rehire her.
Ric Pereyda, a veteran who has been at the forefront of supporting Dr. Sue Sisley, said Tuesday that supporters intend to show up at the next meeting in hopes of convincing board members to get one of the state’s other universities to become home to her study. He said they are going because calls to individual regents have so far gone unreturned.
The move comes one day after Andrew Comrie, the UA provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, said he will not overturn the decision of others not to renew what he described as Sisley “courtesy faculty title.” And Comrie said Sisley was not entitled to appeal the UA’s decision not to renew her other appointments for paid positions as her services were no longer needed.
The net effect, though, is that Sisley finds herself without a home for her plans to research whether marijuana could be useful in helping those with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sisley already has received approval from several federal agencies as well as the university’s own Institutional Review Board.
But now, with no UA affiliation, there is nowhere for her to conduct her research. And the organization that had agreed to find the funds has said its money follows Sisley and will not be awarded even if the UA finds some other principal researcher.
Originally appearing here.
Sisley said the next logical move would be to have the research moved elsewhere.
She already has approached Northern Arizona University President John Haeger.
In an email response, Haeger, who is retiring, said he will need to talk to his replacement. But he also told Sisley that because the issue “have now become so public, the Regents will surely get involved at some point.”
With Sisley saying she got no further communication from Haeger, she and supporters now are going directly to the board to push the issue along.
“The Board of Regents would be able to facilitate those discussions,” said Pereyda who said he suffers from PTSD, paving the way for Sisley to make her bid to move the research to NAU or Arizona State University.
It remains doubtful whether the board will intercede.
Board spokeswoman Katie Paquet said the issue is an internal UA matter. And calls to board Chairman Mark Killian and Vice Chairman Jay Heiler were not immediately returned.
Efforts to reach Haeger, who is in his last days at NAU, were unsuccessful.
In rejecting Sisley’s appeal, Comrie rejected her contention that she was let go because of her high-profile lobbying efforts at the Legislature this past session. She pushed legislation which would have allowed funds collected from medical marijuana users and dispensaries to fund her research.
While the measure cleared the House, it was blocked by state Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix. Sisley was quite vocal about Yee’s decision.
Comrie, however, said he found “no basis” to conclude that the decisions about Sisley were related to her “legitimate activities to effect legislation and to advocate for the rights of veterans.”
