Is society well informed about the risks and benefits associated with cannabis use? At the start of my research, I predicted that the majority of the Australian public would not be well informed about the associated risks and benefits. with cannabis consumption. In my questionnaire, the results showed that my hypotheses were correct, while analyzing previous studies on the same problem, I found that they supported my conclusions. In 1995, a national survey was released which found that 25% of Australians were unaware of the negative health effects associated with alcohol. cannabis consumption. (Hall and Nelson, 1995). Various health professionals have expressed concerns about the high percentage of people who are misinformed about the risks associated with cannabis use. In 2006, Dr John Herron, chairman of the Australian National Medicines Council, said: "We just want people to be much more aware of the problems caused by this drug. Most people don't understand that you can become addicted to cannabis. It's not harmless. (Australian National Drug Council, 2006). A major problem determining the negative impact of correct public information on the risks associated with cannabis use is the constant and dominant contradiction in information sources. Such contradictions are illustrated by: Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the BLF, who quotes: "Young people in particular smoke cannabis without realizing that every cannabis cigarette they smoke increases their risk of developing lung cancer." 'as much as a whole pack of 20 tobacco cigarettes'. In response to this statement, Dr Melamede of the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, USA, says: "Although cannabis smoke and tobacco smoke are chemically very similar, evidence suggests that their effects are very different and...... middle of paper ......formed risks. In conclusion, I believe this is because individuals are constantly receiving conflicting information regarding the consequences of cannabis use (see page 24 for more details). Reflecting on the data collected, it becomes difficult to determine whether current Australian laws regarding cannabis use are representative of societal expectations due to the low diversity of results. When I was asked the question "Do you agree with the current Australian laws that make cannabis illegal", the response I received was Yes = 41%, No = 45% and Unsure = 14% (see page 18). With the majority of results showing that individuals do not agree with current Australian laws that make cannabis illegal, I conclude that current Australian laws regarding the legalization of cannabis are not representative of society's desires..