Essay On Cannabis

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Recommended: Cannabis as a social problem

Is society well informed on the risks and benefits associated with cannabis use?
At the beginning of my research I had predicted that majority of the Australian public would not be well informed of the risks and benefits associated with cannabis usage. In my questionnaire the results showed that my assumptions were correct, whilst anaylising past studies regarding the same issue I found that they support my findings.
In 1995 a National Survey was published that found 25% of Australians were unaware of any negative health effects associated with cannabis use. (Hall & Nelson, 1995). Various health professionals have expressed concerns toward the high percentage of people who are misinformed about the risks associated with cannabis use. In 2006 Dr. John Herron, the Chairman of The Australian National Council of Drugs, said ‘We simply want people to be much more aware of the problems this drug causes. Most people don’t understand you can become dependent on cannabis. It is not harmless’. (Australian National Council on Drugs, 2006).
A major issue determining negative impact on correctly informing the public of the risks of cannabis use is the consistent and prevailing contradiction in sources of information. Such contradictions are exampled by:
Dame Helena Shovelton, BLF Chief Executive who quotes ‘Young people in particular are smoking cannabis unaware that each cannabis cigarette they smoke increases their chances of developing lung cancer by as much as an entire packet of 20 tobacco cigarettes’. In response to this statement Dr. Melamede from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, USA argues, “Although cannabis smoke and tobacco smoke are chemically very similar, evidence suggests that their effects are very different an...

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...formed of the risks. In conclusion, I believe this to be the outcome of individuals constantly being told contradicting information regards to consequences of using cannabis ( refer to page 24 for greater detail)

When reflecting on the data collected it becomes difficult to determine whether or not the current Australian laws regarding cannabis usage are representative of society’s wants due to the minor diversity in the results. When 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% (refer to page 18). With majority of results displaying individuals do not agree with current Australian laws that make cannabis illegal I am concluding that the current Australian laws regarding the legalisation of cannabis are not representable of the wants of society.

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