Women of Influence: Dr. Sue Sisley

Arizona-based physician and president of the Scottsdale Research Institute, Dr. Sue Sisley, is globally known for having led the only Food and Drug Administration-approved randomized and controlled study examining safety and efficacy of smoked cannabis flower in combat veterans suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—a huge accomplishment. Dr. Sisley continues to advocate for the lifting of federal restrictions on cannabis research through her work as principal investigator at Scottsdale Research Institute and Field To Healed Foundation and as a faculty member at Cal Poly Humboldt.

“I hope that cannabis research is finally allowed to proceed with real-world cannabis cultivars. We might finally create a level playing field for the possibility of proving the medical benefits and getting this naturalistic data published in peer-reviewed scientific journals,” Sisley says. “I’d also like to see the use of fresh flower/raw cannabis as a study drug that’s juiced and rigorously evaluate these cannabinoids in acidic form to see what therapeutic anti-inflammatory benefits they can offer. Overall, our mission is to keep pushing the FDA to change their overzealous GMP criteria for how they judge botanical medicine.”

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.