Alex Symoniv - 7101392607Student No7101392607Student .docx

Alex Symoniv - 7101392607
Student No:
7101392607
Student Name:
Alex Symoniv
Diploma of Business
BSBRES401A Analyse & present research information
FNGEN501B Produce research reports & make presentations
Teacher:
Brenda Christiansen - Mt Gravatt campus
Assessment task 1: Journal of readings
Selected topic: Medical Marijuana
Submission date: 3 March
Hypothesis Statement / research objective:
Medical marijuana should be fully legalised and available to
purchase in Australia.
Contents
3Cancer Council New South Wales
4ABC News
5Book 1
6Book 2
7The Australian
8Sunday Herald Sun
9The Australian

10The Sydney Morning Herald
11Canadian Medical Association Journal
12The Medical Journal of Australia
13The Monthly
14Of Substance
15Bibliography
Cancer Council New South Wales
Overview of source
Title:
POSITION STATEMENT – Medical Use of Cannabis
(Marijuana)
Author/s:
Cancer Council
Country/state:
New South Wales
Summary of the reading
The Cancer Council of NSW (2012) suggests that cancer
patients may gain medical benefits from cannabis use if
conventional medicines prove to be ineffective. Side effects
such as nausea and vomiting from patients receiving
chemotherapy can also be helped by cannabis. Additionally,
weight loss issues can be treated by assisting in the stimulation
of a patient’s appetite.
A synthetic product of cannabis known as Nabiximols, when
delivered orally via spray, provides relieving qualities while
excluding the psychological effects caused by THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol) the active chemical found in marijuana.
For this reason, it is the preferred administration method for
anti-emetic therapy patients.
Two international agreements have been signed by the
Australian Government in relation to marijuana use for
medicinal purposes. The first being The Single Convention of
Narcotic Drugs (1961) is in place to fight the abuse of illegal
drugs through placing a cap on the amount legal to possess,
trade and import for both medical and scientific organisations in

aims to deter further illicit drug trafficking. The Convention
Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances (1988) furthers the first agreement to include the
banning of other behaviour and mood altering drugs such as
psylocibin. ABC News
Overview of source
Title:
Medical marijuana debate: NSW rules out approving cannabis
for terminally-ill patients
Author/s:
Sarah Hawke
Country/state:
Australia
Hawke (2013) reports that allowing aids infected patients to use
a maximum 15 grams of cannabis to assist their treatment was
recommended by a cross-party parliamentary committee in May
2013. Hawke continues saying the government denied the
request claiming a lack of evidence that marijuana for medical
treatment is efficient and further declaring it does not condone
any use of unregulated cannabis products.
Greens MP John Kaye opposes the government’s decision to not
support medical marijuana legalisation. Kaye has stated he is
deeply disappointed with the O’Farrell Government as they have
been given an opportunity to provide relief and end the
suffering of terminally-ill patients.
Labor MP Paul O’Grady has been diagnosed as HIV positive as
well as having undergone cancer treatment in the past suggested
a trial of medical marijuana use should have been administered.
"Good public policy should be based on evidence you need in
my view, to have trials of these sorts of things so that you can
develop the evidence,” (Hawke, 2013).
Prescription pharmaceutical cannabis products which are
approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration are

supported by the government. The administration has
additionally suggested the government permit more patients
access to approved cannabis pharmacotherapies if existing pain
management methods prove to be ineffective. Book 1
Overview of source
Title:
The Everything Marijuana Book: Your complete cannabis
resource
Author/s:
Alicia Williamson
Country/state:
USA
Williamson (2010, 22) explains that marijuana may be
administered through the use of a cigarette, pipe or vaporizer.
The drug can also be brewed in tea or baked in foods such as
cookies or brownies. Effects begin to be felt once the THC has
entered the person’s bloodstream, normally lasting between 1-3
hours.
Williamson (2010, 57) dictates that a source of antibacterial
chemicals can be tapped from cannabis to fight against bacteria
that prove to be multidrug resistant. The lung’s ability to deter
invading pathogens is inhibited by cannabis, however
cannabinoids have been found to possess antiseptic benefits.
The cannabinoids THC (tetrahydracannabinol), CBD
(cannabidiol) and CBG (cannabigerol) are just some that prove
effective against bacteria. These cannabinoids also
demonstrated success against Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a bacterial infection which
killed over 19 000 people over 1 year in the US.
CBD and CBG are particularly effective as these cannabinoids
lack the undesired psychotropic properties contained within
THC. Applications of these cannabinoids can be as topical

antiseptics, biodegradable antibacterial compounds and
systematic antibacterial agents. Williamson continues to assert
that these cannabinoids prove imperative to fighting multidrug
resistant bacteria and calls for more clinical trials to
demonstrate effectiveness. Book 2
Overview of source
Title:
Reefer Gladness: Stories, Essays, and Riffs on Marijuana
Author/s:
Michael Konik
Country/state:
USA
Konik (2010, 23) writes that cannabis has always been an old
agricultural commodity grown not for food but industrial
purposes due to the fibres contained within the plant’s stalks.
Psychoactive properties of the herb were first documented by
the Chinese emperor Shennong in 28th century BC.
In 1619,The Virginia General Assembly passed America’s first
marijuana law which instructed all households to grow hemp,
being it was depicted as a strategic agricultural and industrial
necessity. US states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania and
Virginia permitted the use of hemp as legal tender which as a
result caused increased production by farmers.
A letter written by US president Abraham Lincoln exposed his
fondness for smoking marijuana for recreational purposes,
disclosing he liked sitting on his front porch smoking a pipe of
hemp. The second half of the 19th century saw cannabis finally
become commonly used in medicine and was sold without
restriction in pharmacies to treat problems such as migraines
and insomnia.
The catalyst causing unfavourable views of marijuana in the US
was at the time of The Mexican Revolution, where Mexican
immigrants travelled into America’s southwest. Negative
marijuana propaganda became apparent when newspapers would

link the drug with such subject matter as violent African
Americans, prostitutes and underworld crime. The Australian
Overview of source
Title:
Marijuana laws the real crime: pot party
Author/s:
Eoin Blackwell
Country/state:
Australia
Blackwell (2013, p.20) writes that Help End Marijuana
Prohibition (HEMP) party President Michael Balderstone
encourages Australia to reform its marijuana laws, claiming it
should follow the example lead by US states Colorado and
Washington where cannabis has gained legal status. On January
1st 2013, selling marijuana of up to 28 grams became legal in
Colorado, causing state officials to predict a revenue increase of
roughly $US67 million ($AUD75.55 million) annual tax from
marijuana sales.
Balderstone asserts health damage linked to cannabis use is far
less on average when compared to problems linked with alcohol
and tobacco consumption. He continues saying that a person
intoxicated with marijuana is more prone to stay inside as
opposed to leaving the house and causing alcohol fuelled
violence or vandalism.
The Lancet Journal in 2012 published a study that depicted
around 15% of Australians and New Zealanders aged 15-64
admitted to using cannabis at least once in 2009, higher than
that compared with the US where 11% took cannabis the same
year.
Australian marijuana laws vary from state to state, with most
outlawing the drug as a criminal offense to possess or consume,
however in states such as ACT and NT, marijuana has been
decriminalised meaning a person caught may only be fined.

Sunday Herald Sun
Overview of source
Title:
Desperate parents turn to medical marijuana in last-ditch effort
to improve their children’s lives
Author/s:
Annika Smethurst
Country/state:
Australia
Smethurst (2014, p.16) reports that a liquid form of the drug
was given to the daughter of Victorian mum Cheri O’Connell to
treat her for epilepsy while she was diagnosed to have a few
months left to live. Liquid cannabis synthesised in Nimbin,
NSW was given to 8 year old Tara, who according to her
mother, was suffering from 60 seizures a day. Doctors working
at one of Victoria’s best hospitals back up O’Connell’s claims
that the cannabis treatment Tara received proved effective after
she was observed one year later after using it.
Victorian Premier Denis Napthine has become in favour of
forbidding the legalisation of medical marijuana. Health
Minister David Davis urges families to avoid using medical
marijuana due to its present illegal status in Victoria, further
asserting that the government shows no signs of making any
legislation changes. An investigation conducted by the Sunday
Herald Sun concluded that at least 10 children living in Victoria
from as young as 3 have been reported to be taking medical
marijuana daily. Some cases found that teachers would
administer the drug to them.
The liquid marijuana known as THC-A, was received in the mail
and is taken orally by placing drops under the patient’s tongue.
THC-A contains a lower THC content than conventional
marijuana. The Australian
Overview of source

Title:
Time to get real on cannabis use
Author/s:
Country/state:
Australia
Medical marijuana has been approved by 18 US states as well as
a further 10 close to considering it. “There is strong community
support for medicinal cannabis in Australia” (The Australian,
2013, p.18), however it remains forbidden by all states and
territories. To combat this, activist Tony Bowers has been
working to get cannabis to people in need suffering from
distressing conditions. He has since been arrested after an
appearance on a current affairs TV show and is now serving 12
months in jail. Bowers has gone on record to state that prior to
his arrest, he has been successful offering cannabis to people
suffering from illness. He has provided cannabis aid to a 7 year
old girl struggling with Dravet syndrome, a condition which
causes epileptic fits she has suffered from since the age of 6.
Every year doctors, patients as well as political activists join
together at Nimbin’s annual Mardigrass festival to advocate for
drug law reform. Alex Wodak, a drug law reformer from NSW
was quoted at a seminar comparing current medical uses of
illicit drugs to that of the legal status of medical marijuana:
“After all, in 2013, medicine legally uses morphine, cocaine and
amphetamine, while the recreational use of these substances is
strictly prohibited. We could use cannabis medically and still
ban the recreational use of the drug if we wanted to” (The
Australian, 2013, p.18).The Sydney Morning Herald
Overview of source
Title:
Medical marijuana a sensible step back from past paranoia

Author/s:
Country/state:
New South Wales
“The 19th century saw Australia as a country with the largest
consumption rate of patented medication in the world”, (The
Sydney Morning Herald, 2013, p.6). Grocers and chemist were
reported to have openly traded medicines comprised of
substances such as alcohol, opium and later heroin. Marijuana
cigarettes were additionally offered to serve as a relief for such
conditions as asthma, bronchitis and hay-fever.
It was not until the 20th century when Australian attitudes to
now illicit drugs changed, as The Sydney Morning Herald writes
it was the result of ‘American puritanism’. Manufacturing and
use became restricted to serve few medical and scientific
purposes from result of The Geneva Convention in 1925. Not
long later, NSW experienced the prohibition of non-medical
marijuana use.
Propaganda films such as ‘Marijuana – Weed of Madness’ made
in the 1930s by US authorities started to spread extremely
negative representation of marijuana by associating it with
crime and poor health, dismissing its medicinal benefits. From
result of this, Australia felt the same hysteria over marijuana as
the US and it became absorbed into culture.
The US drug propaganda strongly influenced the 1961 UN
Convention to class marijuana and heroin as potentially
dangerous substances and call for them to be banned under all
circumstances. Canadian Medical Association Journal
Overview of source
Title:
Self-reported medical use of marijuana: a survey of the general
population
Author/s:

Alan C. Ogborne, Reginald G. Smart, Edward M. Adlaf
Country/state:
Canada
Ogborne et al. (2000, p.1685) writes that a survey addressing
the use of medical marijuana was conducted as telephone
interviews in Ontario, Canada of adults 18 years and over. The
total participants reached 2508 and the survey responses were
weighted due to differential selection of regional stratification
and household size. The weighted sample saw 49 respondents
(1.9%) admitted to taking marijuana for medical benefits a year
prior to the conduction of the survey. A further 173 (6.8%) said
their use of marijuana was of a non-medical nature.
No marijuana use was recorded by the other 2305 participants in
the weighted sample in the previous year. The most superseding
reason for participant’s medicinal use was to treat pain or
nausea. Ogborne et al. decree that from the data collected,
findings indicated at least 2% of the Canadian population would
make use of the right to use medical marijuana if made legal.
These survey results may also strengthen arguments to
decriminalise marijuana for personal use. The Medical Journal
of Australia
Overview of source
Title:
(Re)introducing medicinal cannabis
Author/s:
Laurence E Mather, Evert R Rauwendaal, Vivienne L Moxham-
Hall,
Alex D Wodak
Country/state:
Australia

Mather et al. (2013, p.759-761) have determined that since 50
years ago when scientific knowledge of marijuana was limited,
that today it is evident marijuana has genuine medicinal utility.
Mather continues by saying most of society’s attention
regarding cannabis has been misdirected towards the
recreational hazards associated with it as opposed to the
potential medical benefits it offers. Australian researchers argue
for a clear distinction to be made between marijuana for
medicinal and recreational purposes.
Scientists conclude that the evidence of medical benefits of
cannabis must outweigh its risks of use rather than how it
supersedes legal medicines. In 2009, The American Medical
Association (AMA) reviewed the evidence of the drug’s medical
benefits and decided to recommend rescheduling cannabinoid-
based medicines for legal prescription in the US.
Most scientific reviews advocate for marijuana use primarily for
symptomatic relief purposes instead of curative treatment. A
British pharmacological review gathered that a variety of
pharmacological strategies can be utilised in amplifying the
beneficial medical gains as well as lower the undesired effects
that directly activate a person’s cannabinoid receptors in the
brain. The Monthly
Overview of source
Title:
Tincture of Health
Author/s:
Mandy Sayer
Country/state:
Australia
Sayer (2010, p. 21-24) reports of a man named Mike who
suffers from kidney disease and as a result had received 6 years
of dialysis treatment. Additionally, Mike has been diagnosed
with cancer and the medications prescribed to treat his

conditions have been giving him unbearable side effects,
contributing to further pain. He was found outside the Hemp
Embassy in Nimbin, NSW asking for assistance to obtain
medical marijuana.
Mike successfully obtained help from Tony Bower, a 55 year
old aboriginal man working at the embassy, by providing him
with 2 tinctures of marijuana. After advising Mike of the
medical benefits of cannabis and the lack of any side effect he
had been experiencing on his original medication (morphine),
he was ecstatic and grateful to Tony.
Bower has been known to grow his own medical marijuana at
his property situated in northern NSW. He provides a service to
people like Mike in need of medical cannabis who are prepared
to travel within a 2-day drive range to reach his home, where he
offers it in the form of tincture. As he is from aboriginal
heritage, Tony claims his culture forbids him from profiting off
providing his cannabis, stating: “I’ve explained to the
government and the cops that I am Aboriginal and it is against
my culture to refuse help or comfort to someone in need”
(Sayer, 2010).Of Substance
Overview of source
Title:
Medical Cannabis Lost in Politics
Author/s:
Libby Topp
Country/state:
Australia
Topp (2006, p. 13-15) asserts that Australian cannabis users are
typically typed as young males who purchase the drug through
friends, taking it for recreation on a daily or weekly basis. Topp
continues saying that policy makers when looking at the typical
marijuana smoking Australian, view this demographic in the

same light as a 70 year old lady (Margaret) who from being
denied pharmaceutical cannabis, acquired marijuana seeds and
was forced to grow her own to meet medicinal needs.
Margaret was first apprehensive about the idea of using
marijuana for pain relief to treat her multiple sclerosis and
rheumatoid arthritis due to it being against the law to take the
drug, but was aware of the potential benefits it offered after
reading anecdotal accounts in magazines of other MS sufferers
using cannabis for their symptoms.
After taking cannabis, Margaret was able to walk the stairs of
her 2 storey home for the first time in 3 years without
experiencing her usual arthritic pain. Margaret told her
specialists of the success of marijuana treatment, causing them
to respond positively to the idea for cannabis medicine.
Bibliography
Blackwell, E 2014, ‘Marijuana laws the real crime: pot party’,
The Australian, 2 January, p. 20. Newspaper
Cancer Council New South Wales, 2012, “POSITION
STATEMENT – Medical Use of Cannabis (Marijuana)” [online].
Available from: http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/1978/cc-
publications/health-strategies-reports-submissions/position-
statements/cancer-council-new-south-wales-medical-use-of-
marijuana-fact-sheet/ [9 November 2012].
Hawke, S, 2013, “Medical marijuana debate: NSW rules out
approving cannabis for terminally-ill patients” [online].
Available from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-16/nsw-
rules-out-medical-marijuana-for-terminal-patients/5096476 [16
November 2013].
Konik M, 2010, Reefer Gladness: Stories, Essays, and Riffs on
Marijuana, Huntington Press Inc, USA.
Mather, L E, Rauwendaal, E R, Moxham-Hall, V L & Wodak, A
D 2013, ‘(Re)introducing medicinal cannabis’, The Medical
Journal of Australia, vol. 199, no.11. pp. 759-761. Website

Ogborne, A C, Smart, R G & Adlaf, E M 2000, ‘Self-reported
medical use of marijuana: a survey of the general population’,
Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol.162, no.12, pp.
1685-1686. Website
Sayer, M 2010, ‘Tincture of Health’, The Monthly, issue no. 56,
pp. 21-24, viewed on 11 February 2014, Informit Australian
Public Affairs Full Text
Smethurst, A 2014, ‘Desperate parents turn to medical
marijuana in last-ditch effort to improve their children’s lives’,
Sunday Herald Sun, 12 January, p. 16. Newspaper
The Australian, 2013, “Time to get real on cannabis use”, The
Australian, 18 May, p.18
The Sydney Morning Herald, 2013, “Medical marijuana a
sensible step back from past paranoia”, The Sydney Morning
Herald, 5 February, p.6.
Topp, L 2006, ‘Medical Cannabis Lost in Politics’, Of
Substance, vol.4, issue no.1, pp. 13-15, viewed on 11 February
2014, Informit Australian Public Affairs Full Text
Williamson A, 2010, The Everything Marijuana Book: Your
complete cannabis resource, including history, growing
instructions, and preparation, Adams Media, USA.
1
Student Name & No.
Student No: 8103176813
Student Name:
Diploma of Business

BSBRES401A Analyse & present research information
FNGEN501B Produce research reports & make presentations
Teacher:
Brenda Christiansen - Mt Gravatt campus
Assessment task 1: Journal of readings
Selected topic: Gambling in Australia
Submission date: 3 March
Hypothesis Statement / research objective:
‘Has Gambling become part of Australian culture?’
Contents
3Internet item 1
4Internet item 2
5Book 1
6Book 2
7Newspaper articles with known author 1
8Newspaper articles with known author 2
9Newspaper articles with unknown author 1
10Newspaper articles with unknown author 2
11Journal or magazine 1
12Journal or magazine 2
13Electronic database article 1
14Electronic database article 2
15Bibliography
Internet item 1
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:

http://www.problemgambling.gov.au/Internet item 2
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
http://youthgambling.mcgill.ca/Gambling2/en/medias/informatio
ngambling.php
or
http://theconversation.edu.au/gambling-in-australian-culture-
more-than-just-a-day-at-the-races-1706Book 1
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Book 2
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Newspaper articles with known author 1
Overview of source

Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Newspaper articles with known author 2
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Newspaper articles with unknown author 1
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Newspaper articles with unknown author 2
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Journal or magazine 1
Overview of source

Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Journal or magazine 2
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Electronic database article 1
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Electronic database article 2
Overview of source
Title:
Author/s:
Country/state:
Bibliography

Alex Symoniv - 7101392607Student No7101392607Student .docx

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