Adam Williams is a chemistry student from Nantwich, Cheshire who supports Stoke City football club. He completed work experience as a dispenser in a medical center, where he learned about interacting with medical professionals, how centers operate, and properly handling prescriptions. His literature review covered the advantages and disadvantages of medicinal cannabis, finding benefits for pain, nausea, spasms, and seizures, but also respiratory risks, accidents, effects during pregnancy, and psychosis. After university, he is keeping his options open but aims to utilize his experience in the medical industry or with recreational drugs testing at festivals. His 5-year plan involves travel, living abroad, returning to the UK to find work, and potentially starting his

1. Adam Williams

2. A bit about me
• From Nantwich - Cheshire
• A BSC Chemistry Student
• A Stoke City supporter

3. Potential Career path
• “Further during L4 I stated that I
wanted to look into research &
development of animal friendly
products, and on top of this, that I
was interested in a company called
'The Loop' which uses scientific
techniques to analyse illegal drugs
at festivals to help promote drug
safety.”
• “I am very open to different roles
after university and I am not set on
going into the roles stated above”

4. Work Experience –
Dispenser

5. My Roles
Take delivery of order, check invoice and sign.Take
Check each individual drug item to delivery noteCheck
Organise drugs/prescription in alphabetical orderOrganise
Serve patients with their prescription – Ensure
correct prescription for patient.Serve
Assist dispenser in any other general duties
required.Assist

6. What I
learned/How
it can help
me in the
future
Interaction with
knowledgeable Doctors and
skilled workers in the medical
industry.
How medical centres are run
day to day
Serving patients in a correct
manner
Handling and dispensing of
prescription drugs

7. Literature Topic
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Medicinal Cannabis

8. Lit review overview
Cannabis has unique pharmacological and toxicological properties due to the contributing
factors of more than 483 compounds, including 61 which are cannabinoids.
Cannabis most intriguing, researched compounds are delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as
it is by far the most psychoactive principle in marijuana, contributing to the behavioural
changes of the drug.
Cannabidiol (CBD), the second most prevalent active component of cannabis which has
attracted interest from pharmaceutical companies due to its potential medical benefits such
as its anti-inflammatory, antischizophrenic and antiepileptic properties.

10. Medicinal Properties
• Chronic Pain - Relief from chronic pain is the most
researched and understood condition for medical use of
cannabis.
• In 2014 94% of Colorado medical Cannabis users indicated
severe pain as a medical condition.
• In addition, there is an increasing problem with the amount
of addiction from conventional opiate pain medication.
• A 2016 study reported that the introduction of medical
cannabis for treatment of pain led to a 64% decrease in
opioid use.

11. Other
benefits
Nausea/Vomiting - Dronabinol and Nabilone. Both of these medications are
FDA approved to treat nausea and vomiting in patients who do not respond
to conventional antiemetic treatments. Both are synthetic form of THC.
Muscle Spasms - Spasticity is a disorder in which certain muscles are
intermittently or continuously contracted. The contraction of the muscle
causes the affected to experience stiffness of the muscles.
Nabiximols (Sativex) is an oral cannabis-based medicine which has recently
been available for prescription on the NHS for patients suffering with MS.
Seizures/Epilepsy - On average a third of patients treated for
epilepsy/seizures do not respond positively to the conventional antiepileptic
drugs. In addition to this, there are many negative side effects such as
osteomalacia and anaemia when taking these drugs.
Epidyolex, a CBD oil was approved for treatment of Lennox-Gastaut
syndrome and Dravet syndrome, both rare forms of epilepsy. The NHS
England also fast tracked the access to the cannabis-based treatment.
Epidyolex which is now available in the UK from 6th January 2020.

12. Health Risks
of Cannabis
use
Respiratory Disease
Motor Vehicle collisions
Cannabis & pregnancy
Schizophrenia

13. Respiratory
disease Respiratory Disease - Despite the
similarity of cannabis use and
cigarette smoking, the exact effect
of cannabis use on respiratory
disease is not known even though
the smoking of cannabis is the
second most common inhaled drug
behind tobacco.
A 2017 study reported findings that
acute smoking of cannabis lead to
improved air way dynamics, and a
higher forced vital capacity (FVC).
Though with increase smoking
habits the negative side effect
gradually increased

14. Motor Vehicle collisions - Multiple studies have reported findings that driving under
the influence of cannabis can lead to a range of dangerous on road behaviours, with users
having a more frequent risk-taking tendency. On March 2nd, 2015 the UK approved roadside
cannabis drug tests with the acceptable amount of THC allowed in the system being 2
micrograms per litre.
Pregnancy - FDA strongly advises against the use of cannabidiol (CBD),
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and marijuana in any form during pregnancy or while
breastfeeding. Can lead to lower birth weight or miscarriages
Psychosis - The relationship between cannabis use and psychosis-related outcomes (eg,
schizophrenia, schizoaffective, schizophreniform, and psychotic disorders) appears to be
moderate to large and dose dependent.

15. Career path
FROM BOTH MY WORK
EXPERIENCE AND MY
LITERATURE REVIEW I CAN
SEE A WINDOW OF
OPPORTUNITY IN THE
MEDICAL INDUSTRY.
HOWEVER, THE EXPERIENCE
I GAINED FROM WORK
EXPERIENCE HAS PUSHED
ME IN OTHER DIRECTIONS.
MY LITERATURE REVIEW
GAVE ME THE
OPPORTUNITY TO
RESEARCH RECREATIONAL
DRUGS WHICH MAY AID ME
IN GETTING THE ‘LOOP’
ROLE FOR FESTIVALS
MY IDEAS FOR A CAREER
ARE STILL VERY BROAD BUT
I FEEL I HAVE GAINED
EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE
IN AREAS WHICH CAN BE
USED TO AID ME IN MANY
DIFFERENT AVENUES AFTER
I FINISH UNIVERSITY.

16. Plan for the
next 5 years
Year 1 – Work 6 months, Travel 6-8 months. South
America
Option 2, 6-month volunteering in Africa learning
and helping with wildlife, Rhinos, Lions etc
Year 2 – Relocation to Barcelona – Spend a year in
another country, enjoy myself
Year 3 – Move back to the UK and find a suitable role
to fit my degree
Year 4 – Work hard, make contacts, aim to progress.
Year 5 – Continue working hard in my current job but
also investigate plans of starting my own business.

17. Any Questions?