Former Olympic snowboarder gets suspended term for smuggling cannabis

BWAHAHAHAHA! 57 grams?

Seriously, 57 grams?

Oooh, throw the book at him, he's a danger to society! Japan might crumble if 57 grams of weed somehow past the postal cops!

Funny thing is, if the guy just goes up to the mountains in the areas I'm sure he trained, he'll find a lot more than 57 grams really easy.

Marijuana isn't a drug. It's a plant in the ground.

Also, 57 grams? Really? How does Japan survive these inhuman monsters?! Please think of the children!

Met this guy around 10 years back, seriously was up himself and thought he was the best snowboarder in the world

Met this guy around 10 years back, seriously was up himself and thought he was the best snowboarder in the world

Gee, with that kind of attitude one just might become an Olympic contender. He was probably just baked when you met’em.

"...we can't rule out the possibility of him repeating a crime," Judge Chikako Murata said ..."

And that said crime is the use of mj.

What other crimes has he committed? I don't know. Can someone enlighten me on his anti-social criminal acts?

Has he robbed, beaten, de-frauded, sexually abused, damaged property, hit & run, drunk driving, and anyone of a myriad of other crimes that occur in society?

And he's been a user for 10 years - you know a crazed addict - so he must have done some really bad shyte somewhere at sometime.

Hoping he's put away next time so he can't corrupt the populace. And ban him from ski slopes coz there's kids there too.

I met him the day he won the US Open at Stratton, Vermont in 2011 (which also happened to be the day after the 3/11 events in Tohoku), and found him to be a pretty nice guy.

3 years for 57 grams, man that's serious.

for those with reading difficulties, it is a suspended sentence, as it is the case with first time offenders. unless he is caught again, he will not go to jail.

I like to relax with a joint, and I do it back home in Europe; in Japan, I know the law and the risks, and I don't take the chance to throw away my life and career, simple as that. Regardless of what I think of the law, it is the Japanese law, and you get punished if you break it. do the same in other countries in Asia, and you won't get a suspended sentence

By all accounts there is weed everywhere in japan, so why be so dumb as to smuggle it in?

Before being shocked about the severity of his sentence for a small amount of pot, let's not forget the loon who killed twenty people and injured 30 odd more in the nursing home has claimed psychosis brought on by his addiction to this devil weed as his defence, which has been accepted by the prosecutors. The real psychosis about pot is the Japanese peoples' belief and acceptance that it could cause such mental disorders. Personally, I think most Japanese could benefit from the odd spliff here and there to calm them the truck down!

let's not forget the loon who killed twenty people and injured 30 odd more in the nursing home has claimed psychosis brought on by his addiction to this devil weed as his defence

His defense lawyer said that. Uematsu himself called it ridiculous and insulting. Claiming that he used marijuana to “calm his urges” before he was ready to execute his “mission.”

Suspended? Is that what the ordinary joe in Japan gets when they also get caught in a similar situation?

Suspended? Is that what the ordinary joe in Japan gets when they also get caught in a similar situation?

Yes. I know several people, including foreigners who were given suspended sentences for marijuana.

I was under the impression that he might get locked up, so it's good that he won't, and that others get suspended sentences too.

Waste of courts time the polices time and this guys time!

Should not be in court for pot

It's only a crime because it's against the law and some laws need to be updated to considering modern advances and research. But this is Japan, so maybe in the next 70 years?

Friend went to America (the home of prohibition), got MJ infused gummy sweets legally. Bought them back, customs didn't bat an eyelid. Still has his job, hasn't killed anyone. This fascination with the demon weed and it's evil intent, is well out of date. Also 57g go to repongi don't try to import that little. It's everywhere it's everywhere. Get a government job probably be part of your summer bonus.

"He has been using cannabis regularly for more than 10 years......."

> > He promised not to use drugs again.

Talk is cheap buddy.

"If you let me go now, I promise to never ever do it again and I'll be your best friend!!!!!"

Friend went to America (the home of prohibition), got MJ infused gummy sweets legally.

I think I know that guy.. *wink wink Are you my co-worker, Cricky? LOL Seriously, CBD is legal in Japan. THC will eventually be legal in Japan as well. I'd say by 2025. By then, all of North America will have legalized recreational MJ.. then the UK.. and Australia/NZ. MJ will be legalized in ALL English-speaking countries by 2030, easily. Probably surprisingly much quicker, at the current rate. By 2023 would not surprise me at all.

"He promised not to use drugs again."

At least not in Japan...

KnowBetter.........

good post!

"It's regrettable you committed the crime despite boasting such achievements in snowboarding," Murata said. "I want you to discipline yourself from now."

I guess this judge doesn’t know that snowboarding was created by a bunch of stoners who liked to get baked before they went out and enjoyed perfect freedom inventing a new sport on the slopes.

57 grams equates to two ounces in imperial, which is a reasonable amount and would have a reasonable street value in Japan.

You are definitely an idiot to try and smuggle it in Japan, but at least he hasn't been imprisoned.

Marijuana isn't a drug. It's a plant in the ground.

To be slightly pedantic, marijuana is a drug and hemp is a plant in the ground.

The real psychosis about pot is the Japanese peoples' belief and acceptance that it could cause such mental disorders.

It doesn't cause mental disorders, but it can exacerbate pre-existing mental conditions. Not that I think this is a good reason to keep it illegal from the rest of us, but we need to be clear on the truths and falsehoods around the plant.

Suspended? Is that what the ordinary joe in Japan gets when they also get caught in a similar situation?

Yes. 80% of first-time drug possession offenders in Japan get suspended sentences. This is the norm.

I think I know that guy.. *wink wink Are you my co-worker, Cricky? LOL Seriously, CBD is legal in Japan.

CBD gummies do exist, but I think he was referring to edibles, which also contain THC (which isn't legal in Japan).

To be slightly pedantic, marijuana is a drug and hemp is a plant in the ground.

To be even more pedantic, hemp is the cannabis plant without (or with very lows of) THC. Marijuana is the name of the drug given by American authorities when they were trying to demonize cannabis, and they used that name as an association with black people and Mexicans, whom they were claiming were being ravaged by the drug. Cannabis the name of the plant in the ground, and hemp refers to non-psychoactive strains of the plant.

In case you need a help due to Marijuana addiction, here is an information about it.

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/marijuana-rehab

Hopefully, Japan does not become a nation that requires such a thing.