Tokyo: With zero tolerance cannabis lawDeeply social stigma against the drug and moves to tighten rules on consumption, Japan is no stone-pelters’ paradise.
But you wouldn’t guess that Ai Takahashi and his friends can be seen twirling bodies and lighting up the weed anthem of “Young, Wild and Free” at a small packed club in Tokyo.
what they are smoking is not illegal Marijuanabut containing a combined cannabis (CBD) — a non-intoxicating component of cannabis Which has become trendy all over the world and is fast catching up in Japan.
“When I was a kid, I was taught in school and everywhere that marijuana is an absolute no-no, and that’s what I believe,” Takahashi told AFP.
“But being a big reggae fan, I got a chance to smoke it when I traveled to places where it’s legal.”
The 33-year-old dancer later became interested in CBD, which is legal in Japan if it is extracted from the seeds or fully grown stems of the plant, but not from other parts such as leaves.
It is sold in vapors, drinks and sweets in specialist cafes, health stores and even a shop in Tokyo’s main airport.
When Takahashi encouraged his mother struggling with depression to try CBD, it made a big difference, she said.
“That’s when I was struck by the power of cannabis.”
Japan’s CBD Industry Tokyo-based research firm VisionGraph says the estimated value in 2019 was $59 million, up from $3 million in 2015.
And the government is discussing approving drugs derived from marijuana, already used in many countries to treat conditions such as severe epilepsy.
But despite its budding interest in the plant’s health benefits, the country isn’t going soft on illegal use. cannabis arrest Breaking records every year.
It’s a peculiar contrast that has inspired Norihiko Hayashi, which sells products containing cannabinoids like CBD and CBN in sleek black and silver packaging, advises Vivek.
“It’s legal, but we ask customers to enjoy it at home. Don’t smoke it outdoors,” said the 37-year-old.
Hayashi thinks Japan may eventually legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
But amusing? “Never. Not in over 100 years. Maybe I’m already dead.”
An increasing number of countries, from Canada to South Africa and more recently Thailand, are taking a more relaxed approach to weed.
But drug use is taboo in Japan, where celebrities caught using narcotics of any description are shunned by their fans and employers.
Just 1.4 percent of people said they had tried marijuana, compared to more than 40 percent in France and nearly half in the United States.
Still, cannabis-related arrests have risen over the past decade to a record 5,482 in the past year, with the majority of offenders in their teens or 20s.
“The Internet is full of false information saying that cannabis is not harmful or addictive,” health ministry official Masashi Yamane told AFP.
The ministry has warned that narcotics such as THC found in cannabis can compromise learning ability and muscle control, as well as potentially increase the risk of mental illness.
To tackle the issue, officials are considering closing a loophole originally intended to prevent farmers from being arrested for psychoactive fumes when growing hemp for items such as rope.
This means that marijuana consumption is technically legal in Japan, although possession carries a prison sentence of up to five years.
This extends to seven years and a potential fine of up to two million yen ($15,000) if it is to be sold for profit, with strict punishment for aggravated or smuggling.
of japan cannabis control act Introduced in 1948 during the post-war US occupation.
The United States “viewed marijuana as a problem and a threat, even though consumption was actually limited and highly stigmatized,” said Miriam Kingsberg Kadia, a history professor at the University of Colorado who studies narcotics in Japan. .
So “these harsh drug laws against a drug that was not really a problem remained on the books,” she told AFP.
The rules have implicated stars including Beatle Paul McCartney, who spent nine days in detention in Japan in 1980 after cannabis was found in his luggage.
But the country is not an outsider in Asia, where harsh penalties for drug use are the norm, although Thailand now allows users to possess and grow cannabis under complex new guidelines that still exclude recreational use.
And while Japan may allow drugs derived from cannabis as soon as this year, there is little sign that politicians or the public relaxes the rules further.
“Marijuana is seen on the robber’s side,” said Ryudai Nemoto, a 21-year-old employee at a CBD shop in Ibaraki, near Tokyo.
“I personally don’t see it that way, knowing that there are people who gravitate towards it for medical and health reasons, but that’s not how normal society sees it.”
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