A U.S. academic claimed she lost her job at the University of Arizona because of her support for medical marijuana, according to a New York Times report.

Dr. Sue Sisley, a psychiatrist, launched a study to examine the effect of marijuana on war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

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She sought federal approval for her research in 2010, but tough regulatory requirements combined with politics have stalled the project.

Although federal health officials finally approved the study in March, the only agency authorized to supply marijuana for research said it did not have the strains that Dr. Sisley needed and would have to grow more.

The news meant Dr. Sisley's research could be delayed until at least early 2015.

But the project hit another snag in June after the university decided not to renew Dr. Sisley's contract, citing organizational and funding issues.

Her firing came after a Republican-sponsored bill aimed at providing funding to her research failed to make it through the Arizona State Legislature.

One of the main opponents of the bill, State Senator Kimberly Yee, said the funds could be better used for spreading awareness on the harmful effects of drugs.

Yee, who heads the Education Committee, came under fire from a group of veterans who supported Dr. Sisley's project.

The veterans, some of whom had consulted Dr. Sisley in the past, set out on a campaign for Yee's recall, leading to accusations that the researcher was involved in the effort to remove the senator from office.

Dr. Sisley maintained she was not part of the recall move and accused the university of bowing to political pressure to terminate her.

"The university could not take the political heat from the hyperconservative legislators and fired me and deserted all these veterans who have been fighting alongside me for years," Dr. Sisley said.

Besides politics and paper work, federal legislation has also hampered research on marijuana use for medical treatment.

One major legal hurdle is the classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug alongside LSD, Ecstasy, peyote and heroin.

These drugs, under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, are considered to have no proven medical benefit, could lead to addiction and can be used for research only under tight restrictions.

Tagsmedical marijuana research, marijuana research, medical uses of marijuana, pain medication, pain treatment, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services