With its zero-tolerance cannabis laws, deep social stigma against the drug and moves to tighten rules on consumption, Japan is no stoner’s paradise.
However, watching Ai Takahashi and her friends twerking, body-rolling and lighting up to the weed anthem Young, Wild & Free at a tiny, packed club in Tokyo might suggest otherwise.
What they are smoking is not illegal marijuana, but a joint containing cannabidiol (CBD) — a nonintoxicating component of cannabis that has become trendy worldwide and is fast catching on in Japan.
Photo: AFP
“When I was a child, I was taught at school and everywhere else that marijuana is an absolute no-no, and that’s what I believed too,” Takahashi said. “But being a huge reggae fan, I had 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 extracted from the plant’s seeds or fully grown stems, but not other parts like the leaves.
It is sold in vape pens, drinks and sweets at specialist cafes, health stores and even a shop in Tokyo’s main airport.
When Takahashi encouraged her mother, who was struggling with depression, to try CBD, it made a big difference, she said.
“That’s when I became convinced of the power of cannabis,” she added.
Japan’s CBD industry in 2019 had an estimated value of US$59 million, up from US$3 million in 2015, Tokyo-based research firm Visiongraph said.
The Japanese government is discussing approving medicines derived from marijuana, which are used in many countries to treat conditions such as severe epilepsy.
However, despite budding interest in the plant’s health benefits, the country is not getting softer on illegal use, with cannabis arrests hitting records each year.
It is a curious contrast that has led Norihiko Hayashi, who sells products containing cannabinoids in sleek black and silver packaging, to advise discretion.
“It’s legal, but we ask customers to enjoy it at home. Don’t smoke it outside on the street,” the 37-year-old said.
Hayashi thinks Japan could eventually legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
But recreational?
“Never. Not in more than 100 years. Maybe I’ll already be dead,” he said.
A growing number of countries from Canada to South Africa, and most recently Thailand, are taking a more relaxed approach to weed.
However, drug use remains taboo in Japan, where celebrities caught using narcotics of any description are shunned by their fans and employers.
Only about 1.4 percent of Japanese say they have tried marijuana, compared with more than 40 percent in France and about half in the US.
Even so, cannabis-related arrests have been rising for nearly a decade to a record 5,482 last year, with most offenders in their teens or 20s.
“The Internet is awash with false information saying cannabis isn’t harmful or addictive,” Japanese Ministry of Health official Masashi Yamane said.
The ministry warns that intoxicating substances — such as tetrahydrocannabinol, which is found in cannabis — could compromise learning ability and muscle control, as well as potentially increase the risk of mental illness.
To tackle the issue, authorities are looking into closing a loophole originally meant to stop farmers from being arrested for inhaling psychoactive smoke when growing hemp for items such as rope.
It means consumption of marijuana is technically legal in Japan, although possession is punishable by up to five years in jail.
This rises to seven years and a possible fine of up to ¥2 million (US$14,835) if it is to sell for profit, with stricter sentences for growing or smuggling.
Japan’s Cannabis Control Act was introduced in 1948, during the post-World War II US occupation.
Washington “saw marijuana as a problem and a threat, even though consumption was really limited and very much stigmatized,” said Miriam Kingsberg Kadia, a history professor at the University of Colorado who studies narcotics in Japan.
“These draconian drug laws against a drug that wasn’t really a problem remained on the books,” she said.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the