Japan's revised laws criminalizing cannabis use to take effect Dec 12

Prohibition has never stopped young people from anything. Provide them with purpose, employment and hope and you will not have a drug problem. People will want to party and relax, but they get too busy doing the activities they love to waster too much time with drugs. Drug driving must be prohibited though!

The government may have the tools of the state to enforce laws but has no moral authority to tell adult citizens what they can and cannot willingly choose to ingest within the privacy of their own home. Adults should have the right to do as they see fit, provided they are not infringing on the rights of anyone else.

While I won't comment on the merits or pitfalls of marijuana use, it seems that Japan is going exactly opposite what Western countries are doing with the legalization of the drug. I guess we will see who was correct in the years ahead.

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Prohibition has never stopped young people from anything.

Correct, just becomes more of a challenge and thrill.

Stone age thinking from J govt again.

Just legalise, control supply and tax it.

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it seems that Japan is going exactly opposite what Western countries are doing with the legalization of the drug. I guess we will see who was correct in the years ahead.

Thailand is moving to recriminalize recreational use. Apparently we can blame this on Coldplay (!) fans.

https://theweek.com/law/thailand-reverse-weed-decriminalisation

Westerners want their marijuana, so Japan should make it legal. I agree that the punishment is way out of line but, uh, seems like different cultures don't always match up with each other. Don't visit or live in Japan. If you want a J then go where they are legal. Ta da!

...it reversed its stance amid increasing concerns that the lack of a ban on use is promoting drug abuse by young people.

A ban in itself will promote drug use among young people with a natural curiosity and attracted by "forbidden fruit" The hypocrisy of corrupt politicians addicted to alcohol and tobacco and gaslighting with their tired old reefer-madness hype a better informed and traveled public will only stoke the natural rebelliousness of youth who have nothing in common with the authoritarian oyajis from the L(egal) D(rugs) P(arty). Oh, and not to forget the big-picture promoter of drug use, Japanese capitalism and the slime-trail of anomie it produces among its disaffected drones.

I don't know if banning it is best or not..... but looking at the drug epidemic in the permissive West I can understand why they chose this route.

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Interesting research on the effects of cannabis on epilepsy and seizures, especially in children.

Great medicine for some conditions. Keep it illegal and only the truly adventurous will use it.

Some here are talking about “adults” and ignoring the potential harm to it filtering down to teens, specifically group image/peer pressure and kids already psychologically fragile. Keep it off the streets! Bonus is busting the legal and illegal immigrant gangs that will take advantage of newer relaxed laws.

While Japan goes backwards in time....

I don’t do drugs, but everytime there’s a new punishment law, it is, without fail, bound to be abused by authorities.

The news about Thailand re-criminalizing cannabis is from February 2024.

I was in Thai 2 weeks ago, cannabis shops are everywhere.

@Gene Hennigh

I wonder if you know who put the anti marijuana laws in japan in the first place...

Seems like pretty meaningless posturing. Possession is already illegal and the punishment is severe.

As others have suggested. Legalize, regulate the hell out of it, and cream juicy profits in tax. Such a missed opportunity... as usual

Cannabis wasn't illegal until the introduction of laws by the occupying Americans after WW2.

"Westerners want their marijuana, so Japan should make it legal. I agree that the punishment is way out of line but, uh, seems like different cultures don't always match up with each other. Don't visit or live in Japan. If you want a J then go where they are legal. Ta da!"

You seem to have a great knack for making straw men, Gene. Though you are not alone. And in most cases the end result is support for whatever Japan does over and above any common sense or even your own principles. Is it cultural/moral relativism over principle?

"Cannabis wasn't illegal until the introduction of laws by the occupying Americans after WW2."

I can guarantee this will come up sometime in any forum related to cannabis and Japan. But it is not like Japan was liberal about cannabis and people got stoned and then the Americans put a stop to the fun, as might seem to be the consequence of such a statement.

"But the tradition came under scrutiny after World War II, when U.S. occupying forces called for a ban on cannabis. The result was the 1948 Cannabis Control Act, which outlawed most parts of the hemp plant but not its mature stems and seeds, which were, at the time, believed to contain no psychoactive chemicals."

https://time.com/6306213/japan-cannabis-laws-loopholes-legal-high/

I don't use it but I think the personal consumption of cannabis should be legal.

wallaceToday 10:48 am JST

Cannabis wasn't illegal until the introduction of laws by the occupying Americans after WW2.

Ok. Why does it fit in so well with the standard Asian draconian drug laws?

"Until the early 20th century, cannabis-based cures were available from Japanese drug stores. Long an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, they were taken to relieve muscle aches, pain and insomnia."

TaiwanisNotChina

sorry I don't understand your question.

Gene HennighToday  09:05 am JST

Westerners want their marijuana, so Japan should make it legal. I agree that the punishment is way out of line but, uh, seems like different cultures don't always match up with each other. Don't visit or live in Japan. If you want a J then go where they are legal. Ta da!

I'd argue that there's nothing cultural about it all as Japan merely adopted the US' policy on pot from the 1920's & 30's which itself was racially based. Pot wasn't illegal in Japan back then.

the beer, wine and whisky industry approves of this move.

wallaceToday 11:47 am JST

My point is: Japan has been able to change this law for decades. It doesn't because it fits in with the draconian treatment of all other drugs.

Japan, getting more boring by the day

In 1980, when Paul McCartney was arrested for bringing a half pound (226 grams) of cannabis into Japan, he was faced with 7 years of hard time. It was a lucky thing for him that Senator Ted Kennedy interceded on his behalf. Paul was released after spending 9 days in jail.

I wonder what would happen to him now.

A huge win for Japan Tobacco who would see huge competition. Perhaps the government should stop investing in cancer causing tobacco and join the rest of the modern world. The amount of greed here is amazing.

I wonder what would happen to him now.

Nothing. Two-tier justice is universal based on the totem pole of power, where money and social status determine how the law is applied and to whom (Reality 101).

While the possession and cultivation of marijuana are already banned in Japan, the country will prohibit its use as well, setting a prison sentence of up to seven years for violation.

So what happened to "my body my choice"?

Recreational marijuana has had a bad impact on American society, so it makes sense to be skeptical of following this trend.

There are plenty of jobs out there, but Americans have just become too entitled and lazy to do basic jobs. They prefer to stay home eating snacks and watching tik tok videos.

Outside of medical use, the only results of legalization have been negative.

Nibek32Today  04:06 pm JST

Recreational marijuana has had a bad impact on American society, so it makes sense to be skeptical of following this trend.

There are plenty of jobs out there, but Americans have just become too entitled and lazy to do basic jobs. They prefer to stay home eating snacks and watching tik tok videos.

Outside of medical use, the only results of legalization have been negative.

All hearsay and opinion with no scientific or statistical evidence. Legislation has pretty much eliminated the criminal trade and associated criminal activities while generating huge revenue through taxes for governments. There's now quality control as well. More likely that legal alcohol and cigarettes causes more health and social issues.

リッチ

A huge win for Japan Tobacco who would see huge competition.

Not at all. Weed doesn't compete with tobacco in any way. Yeah, you can smoke/vape both. But, that's like saying burgers compete with edamame because both are eaten.

The actual industries that compete with weed, and therefor want to see it remain illegal, are the alcohol (beer, wine, spririts) and, to a lesser extent, pharmaceutical industries.

My college-aged niece is your run-of-the-mill normal, good Japanese kid. She studies hard, doesn't really party, follows the rules, and being a Disneyland officionado is probably the biggest facet of her identity. Her friends, many of whom I've met in Japan, seem similar.

She came to the US for a solo visit not long ago, and was constantly exposed to weed, as you can smell it being smoked all over and you see the dispensary stores all over. She asked what the smell was as she didn't know, and then she smelled it everywhere. Especially Boston and NYC.

I asked her if she ever came across it in Japan, and she said that she has friends who smoke weed. I asked if this was unusual, and she thought that it was somewhat common in her generation. That's a big shift from when I lived in Japan about 20 years ago, when a mere question about weed would trigger the usual responses of "abunai!" and "kowai!". I was lucky to include in my friendship circles a local band of hippies so I always had weed to smoke, but they were unusual.

So the times they are a-changin'. I wouldn't be surprised to see decriminalization continue to advance, as the old guard dies off and the younger generation begins to take the reins of power. The number of young Japanese travelers who take advantage of legal cannabis on trips to North America aren't few, and it's hard to try it and not realize that you've been lied to with all the hype about how evil and dangerous it is. And those laws don't go unnoticed in Japan, where social trends tend to somewhat mirror those in the US by 10-20 years or so (think non-smoking sections in restaurants).

Weed is coming to Japan, like it or not.

CaptDingleheimer

And those laws don't go unnoticed in Japan, where social trends tend to somewhat mirror those in the US by 10-20 years or so (think non-smoking sections in restaurants).

Weed is coming to Japan, like it or not.

I'd say that it's more like 30 years. But, yeah, legalization is coming some day. Just not a day that's soon enough for many of us to be able to take advantage of, sadly.

Mind altering substances should not be legitimized until at least 20 years of clinical trials have been done.

7 years! I would say that's one toke over the line!

Stupid anachronistic move!

Whether cannabis is illegalized or not, 99% of Japanese don't care. It's always fun to see so many people here are pissed off about this kind of news.

weed is readily available and very popular in Japan

weed is readily available and very popular in Japan

which is why politicians are panicking in their smoke-filled backrooms.

ScottDRadSep. 14  07:00 am JST

Prohibition has never stopped young people from anything. Provide them with purpose, employment and hope and you will not have a drug problem. People will want to party and relax, but they get too busy doing the activities they love to waster too much time with drugs. Drug driving must be prohibited though!

If it's used in the privacy of home, then there's no problem. Unlike alcohol, marijuana never brings out the mean or aggressive side of anyone. It is not physically addictive like alcohol can be. And people who abuse their families are dirtbags anyway.

> 151ESep. 14  07:46 am JST

The government may have the tools of the state to enforce laws but has no moral authority to tell adult citizens what they can and cannot willingly choose to ingest within the privacy of their own home. Adults should have the right to do as they see fit, provided they are not infringing on the rights of anyone else.

It's time to put away the 'Reefer Madness' lies away once and for all. Like the 'winnable nuclear war' myth, it's all a LIE that hardly anyone believes anymore.

When I visited Tyconderoga in 2019, the Mohawk farmers were making a windfall with this cash crop. It's used to make good paper, oil products and more! It's doing Canada some good as well as the 50% of the US states where it is now legal. Of course, only adults should be using it. All those lies and screaming about weed is not working anymore. It's time to end the hypocrisy. LEGALIZE IT.

>

An average of 22 high school-aged teens died of overdoses each week in the United States in 2022

According to an article in today's Guardian

Of course they are not dying from pot, but I would guess pot was the was what got them started

As a parent、I'm pleased there are strict laws on all drugs

Very good, the harsher the better, and the massive errors by lax handling or legalization like in other countries should never be introduced or copied here. In addition there should be an even harder punishment for the bigger dealers, not up to but starting from 7 yrs. as a prison sentence. We have the common legal drugs here, alcohol and tobacco products, and that's fine and enough to choose from for everyone who wants to.

wrong direction!!! Japan needs to decriminalize and legalize cannabis for medial and recreational use

I'd say the only legitimate reason we hadn't banned Alcohol and Tobacco outright yet is because they are too ingrained in the population such that we can't safely remove them, like a cancer that has gotten too big to cut. We don't need to make or allow a third massive tumor.

They are so barking up the wrong tree with this stupid law.... but whatever. I am past my hippie time and am happy with beer.

Japan is going against the direction the rest of the world is going with this law. And it's not a scientifically based decision, it's an emotional one based on outdated propaganda, that unfortunately took hold in Japan and has not been questioned.

Canada legalized and all that happened is they started taking in more tax revenue. People drink less too, and kids are smoking less cannabis then before, although this last point wouldn't likely transfer to Japan.

And if there was ever a country that it would be good to drink less, and where the average personality type could probably use a bit of "chill", cannabis seems like it would be a particularly good fit for Japan.