State universities will be allowed to conduct federally approved research of medical marijuana under legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Jan Brewer.
Senate Bill 1443 had the support of proponents of medical marijuana, who said universities provide safe places to research the drug and that it is too difficult to perform such research in other locations. The governor's signature is a victory for those proponents, especially Dr. Sue Sisley, a Scottsdale internist in private practice and assistant professor of psychiatry and internal medicine at the University of Arizona.
She plans to study the efficacy of marijuana on combat veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“This is a triumph for the Arizona scientific community and proves there is the potential that science will win over politics,” Sisley said, adding that Brewer has opened the door to conduct a range of medical marijuana research that could be used nationally and internationally.
A voter-approved law allows patients with certain debilitating medical conditions to use medical marijuana; about 38,000 Arizonans particpate in the program.
Bill allows state universities to research medical marijuana
