Suzanne A. Sisley is an American internist and psychiatrist who is a former clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. She was terminated from her position for her advocacy around ending barriers to schedule 1 drug research.
Marijuana research and termination
In March 2014, Sisley's proposal to study marijuana use to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was approved by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. After working at the University of Arizona for nearly eight years in various capacities, she was fired from the university in June 2014, ostensibly because of "funding and reorganization issues." Sisley, however, claims the firing was because of her interest in studying the potential medical uses of marijuana to treat PTSD. Sisley has also claimed that the university failed to provide a location for the trial to take place, and that the University of Arizona was "fearful of the word 'marijuana' and not want... their brand aligned with this research." After she was terminated, the university released a statement saying that they had "not received political pressure to terminate any employee as has been suggested in some media and other reports."
Sisley was initially focused on nonprofit drug development research into potential medical uses of inhaled marijuana and hoped to seek FDA approval of cannabis for Pain/Exit drug to substitute for opioid dependence. But FDA had been impeding this research which enabled Sisley to begin shifting focus into natural psychedelics such as psilocybin mushrooms. Dr. Sisley is licensed by DEA as schedule 1 manufacturer to farm psilocybin mushroom fruiting bodies to conduct human trials. Sisley was awarded a $2.75 million grant from State of AZ in 2024 to evaluate patients with life-threatening illness using whole psilocybin mushrooms.
This schedule 1 license came after her organization Scottsdale Research Institute toppled over a 53 year old monopoly at University of Mississippi thru a series of petitions in Federal Court, and was among 1st Approved by DEA for Licensing to Grow Cannabis for Research.
Sisley is currently President of Scottsdale Research Institute & Principal Investigator for FDA-approved randomized controlled trials examining safety/efficacy of smoked marijuana flower for treating pain, post traumatic stress disorder PTSD, and opioid substitution.
Research and ethical concerns
Sisley has faced significant scrutiny and controversy regarding her research methodologies and affiliations. Critics have raised concerns about the quality and ethical aspects of her studies. For instance, there have been allegations that some of her research, particularly studies related to cannabis for PTSD, might be influenced by her connections to the cannabis industry. This has led to questions about potential conflicts of interest and the objectivity of her findings.
Additionally, Sisley's work has sometimes been criticized for lacking rigorous scientific standards. Some researchers argue that her studies do not always adhere to the highest methodological protocols, which could affect the reliability of her results. A particularly serious accusation against Sisley is that she allegedly manipulated veterans to obscure her role in research controversies. According to reports, veterans involved in her studies were sometimes used to promote her work and defend it against criticism, creating a façade of grassroots support while minimizing her direct involvement. This strategy has been criticized as exploitative, leveraging the credibility and experiences of veterans to shield her research from scrutiny.
References
- Halper, Evan (1 July 2014). "Pot researcher abruptly fired by University of Arizona". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- Kovaleski, Serge F. (9 August 2014). "Medical Marijuana Research Hits Wall of U.S. Law". New York Times. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ Young, Saundra (14 July 2014). "Medical marijuana research stalls after Arizona professor is let go". CNN. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- "Scottsdale Research Institute".
- ^ Hausfeld, Russell (23 March 2023). "Who's Researching the Researchers?". Truth Dig. Retrieved 5 June 2024.