Pubdate: Mon, 29 Sep 2014
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
Copyright: 2014 Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact: http://www.reviewjournal.com/about/print/press/letterstoeditor.html
Website: http://www.lvrj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233
Author: Arnold M. Knightly
Page: 1A

UNLV COULD GET STUDY ON MEDICAL POT'S EFFICACY FOR VETERANS

UNLV's most impactful recruit this year might be nowhere near the 
basketball court.

Nevada's state and federal lawmakers have been working to bring 
medical marijuana researcher Dr. Sue Sisley to the university to 
conduct a pilot study on the safety and efficacy of marijuana on 
veterans with chronic and treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder.

While the study would be financially supported by sponsors and not 
receive any federal money, it has received all the federal approvals, 
said Sisley, who has been working on securing the study since 2011. 
She is hoping the university will provide the research space.

"That was a miracle in itself," said Sisley of the potential 
early-phase drug development trial. "We had to hurdle four different 
obstacles to get to a point where we could actually research. It was 
a big achievement, and we were really close to getting implemented."

She would study five different strains of marijuana that would be 
smoked or vaporized and inhaled by 70 veterans. The goal is to 
develop a marijuana drug in plant form approved by the Food and Drug 
Administration. It would be the first and only randomized controlled 
trial in the country looking at marijuana in treating post-traumatic 
stress disorder.

Sisley's desire to study medical marijuana's impact grew out of her 
daily physician work with veterans suffering from PTSD at the 
University of Arizona's medical school in Phoenix.

The study could be in association with the University of Denver and 
Johns Hopkins University medical schools through the University of 
Nevada, Las Vegas psychology department's community health clinic program.

UNLV OKS REQUIRED

UNLV College of Liberal Arts Dean Christopher C. Hudgins said the 
health clinic program provides research and services to the community 
in collaboration with the College of Education's counseling and 
educational psychology program.

"This would fit well within that if the psychology department agrees 
that this would be a good appointment," said Hudgins, adding that the 
position would not receive any state money.

Sisley gave a presentation Sept. 22 to the psychology department's 
faculty board about joining as a research faculty member.

The board will give its recommendation to Thomas Piechota, UNLV's 
vice president for research and economic development.

Piechota said the university might take a little longer to review any 
potential offer because of its connection to medical marijuana.

"This type of research is certainly good research to be looking at 
inside the university," Piechota said. "There's so much unknown in 
terms of the effects of medical marijuana on these types of issues."

Sisley has secured study approval from the Food and Drug 
Administration, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Public Health 
Service and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The institute would 
sell her the marijuana study plants out of the government's grow 
facility in Mississippi.

Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Page said he was not familiar with 
the recruitment of Sisley or her work. However, her appointment would 
have to come before the board because of the relationship to medical marijuana.

"Normally, we don't get involved in hires," Page said. "But this one, 
because of medical marijuana not being approved federally, it becomes 
a much more touchy situation."

CAMPUS POT RULES

The regents reaffirmed Sept. 4 the Nevada System of Higher 
Education's ban on pot use on campus to include medical marijuana.

Marijuana is listed as a Schedule 1 drug with no medical benefit, 
similar to heroin and Ecstasy, making it a federal crime to grow, 
sell and use. The categorization puts tight restrictions on studying 
medical marijuana and brings concern that the federal government 
might pull federal funding from schools involved with pot use and research.

However, the regents left the door open for medical marijuana 
research at the University of Nevada School of Medicine based in Reno.

Sisley also met with Rep. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, an outspoken 
advocate for loosening the federal restrictions for medical marijuana 
research and business.

"Her credentials are most impressive, and she seems like she would be 
an asset to have," the Nevada Democrat said. "Our medical marijuana 
industry is just taking off; we just got a new (Veterans Affairs) 
hospital. That's why I was really interested in her work because of 
the PTSD connection."

State Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, said the research is perfect 
for UNLV despite the rejections in Arizona and potential concerns by 
Nevada regents.

"First off, we're Nevada, so we're used to rolling the dice," 
Segerblom said. "Secondly, it's FDA-approved. The marijuana comes 
from a government farm. You couldn't have a more federally approved 
plan than this.

"No one's going to take (UNLV's) money away, and this is a golden 
opportunity to get out of this fear, this fog and move forward."

Titus said she doesn't see any legal hurdles to bringing Sisley's 
research to UNLV.

"If you've got a state senator, you've got a U.S. congressperson all 
giving you cover. If you're the university, you'd think that would be 
some sense of relief that you wouldn't have to worry about losing 
those federal grants," Titus said.

SISLEY'S SALES TALK

Sisley promoted her research plan Tuesday during the Las Vegas 
Medical Marijuana Association luncheon, which was attended by 
industry advocates as well as Segerblom, Hudgins and Piechota.

Sisley told the audience she was set to do the study at the 
University of Arizona, where she had been since 2006 as an associate 
professor of internal medicine and psychiatry at the College of 
Medicine-Phoenix and Scottsdale. However, she was fired for her vocal 
stance on medical marijuana research.

According to the New York Times, money from the state's medical 
marijuana fees allocated for her study by the Arizona House died when 
a powerful state senator refused to put the legislation before the 
Education Committee.

Veterans who had been treated by Sisley called Arizona state Senate 
leaders expressing concerns leading to allegations that the doctor 
was "aggressively and inappropriately" behind the veterans' calls. 
Three months ago, she received a university letter saying her annual 
employment contract, which expired Friday, would not be renewed.

"I had three different contracts there, and they were stripped from 
me," she said of her telemedicine research, assistant professorship 
and a $300,000 medical marijuana law education grant.

Although Segerblom contacted Sisley about coming to UNLV earlier this 
year, the doctor was hoping to remain in Arizona, where she graduated 
from the University of Arizona and has lived for 30 years.

However, her research proposal was rejected by all the academic 
institutions and 11 hospitals she approached.

She has been contacted by other states interested in bringing her 
research there, but she likes the proximity to her home in Phoenix.

She said she is not some pro-marijuana activist looking to fit 
research to a pre-ordained thesis, but she "desperately hopes" it 
proves to be helpful to veterans suffering from PTSD.

"I have a healthy skepticism on anything I hear as subjective 
accounts from patients," Sisley said. "This randomized control trial 
would give the whole plant marijuana the opportunity to go through 
the rigors of serious testing to collect some objective data so we're 
just not going off patients' reports."

Titus, who taught political science at UNLV for 30 years, said what 
is needed is research with rigorous oversight and peer reviews on 
potential positive effects of medical marijuana.

"So far, most of the testing they've done is to look for the negative 
effect," Titus said. "Let's look for the positive effects. If they're 
there, great. If they're not, then we'll know that, too. You'll know 
something about dosage, illness and all the science that has gone 
into researching any other kind of chemical compound."

The congresswoman added that it could position UNLV as the leading 
research institution for medical marijuana, attracting more studies 
and dollars to the university.

The recruitment of Sisley comes as Nevada has received 520 
applications for medical marijuana establishments, including 
dispensaries, cultivation facilities, testing labs and manufacturing of edibles.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom