Voices
in
Japan

poll

Should marijuana use be illegal?

53 Comments
© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

53 Comments
Login to comment

In Japan? Not until the economy has slowed down further and the decreased productivity that ensues from lighting up is negligible. And certainly not for the million-odd shut-ins who don't need another reason to shun the outside world.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I thought it said should marijuana use be legal. That's what happens when you smoke too much.

Make it legal and the price will come down and I'll buy something other than convenience store obento on my munchy runs.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yes. That and cigarette use.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think all narcotics should be outlawed. I know there are misguided people who think a little pot is not harmful, but they are fooling themselves. I've met people in Japan who think there is nothing wrong with taking a little amphetamines, cocaine and even heroin.

All I can say is: whatever high a drug user gets from his pot, cocaine or whatever, you can get even higher from watching a beautiful sunset, birds flying, a butterfly or myriad other wonders of nature.

Why anyone would put garbage like narcotics into their system is beyond me. The idiot I met, who took cocaine, had a 5-year-old boy. I wonder how he'd feel if someone offered his son some marijuana.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Well lets see why is booze legal and pot isnt. I grew up in the 70's half the women were wacked out on Valium preaching about the dangers of pot.

I also grew up in a dry county and most the drunks drank lysol, aqua velva, and ate hand cream to get their fix. I still smoke on occasion and it was never a stepping stone to other drugs. Im also not a drinker but I do like a glass of champagne once a year.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Marijuana should only be legal for medical purposes. It doesn't matter how many "responsible" users there are. It's a nightmare logistics deciding how to legalize marijuana (taxation, regulation, etc. etc.).

0 ( +0 / -0 )

opps, i thought it said legal too. smoked one too many i guess. minus one for yes, please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

opps, i thought it said legal too. smoked one too many i guess

Hey gotta unwind on the weekend.

Perhaps JT should have made it Should marijuana use be legal?, given it is already illegal, but then again it doesn't make much difference, and everything is confusing anyway, especially after finishing off a 50 dollar baggy and getting lost on my way back from my munchie run.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

the war on drugs is built of double standards

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Brainiac you can get even higher from watching a beautiful sunset, birds flying, a butterfly or myriad other wonders of nature.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Meaning we should smoke up then take in one of these events?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm not for legalizing marijuana for "recreational" purposes. I am for the medicinal use. It should still be considered a controlled substance for use for those that actually NEED it for its medicinal properties.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm 56, been smoking pot since I was 15.

I'm retired. (Cough..cough) Didn't ruin my life.

I'm healthy. Helped me quit (Cough...cough)cigarteets I smoked for 34 years.

I don't drink as a rule and don't (Hack...cough...gag) use harder drugs. Just like to unwind. < :-)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

yes. whats cool about gettin high anyway. wait i dont want to know

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If alcohol is legal, why not weed?

A little weed now and again is harmless compared to booze and it makes no sense at all that one is legal and the other is not.

Its a damn shame so many people feel the need to dictate what others can and cannot do.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Except for Holland, isn't marijuana use illegal just about everywhere? So, shouldn't the question be "Should marijuana use be legal?"

adaydream - As an admitted marijuana user outside Holland, you are in violation of the law. You should immediately turn yourself in to the local authorities nyuk nyuk nyuk

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There are many countries where recreational marijuana use (by default: possession of less than 5grams of resin, or 8grams of marijuana) is either decriminalized or largely ignored by law enforcement.

Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Most of Scandinavia, West Australia state, Nepal.... There are about the same amount of countries that ignore Marijuana use as there are countries that restrict/prohibit. These countries however, tend to be small African nations and insignificant Baltic states and Central Asian nations.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

just keep marijuana illegal in Japan and those who crave it just move

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think all narcotics should be outlawed.

I agree, but weed ain't a narcotic. Look it up.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Except for Holland, isn't marijuana use illegal just about everywhere? So, shouldn't the question be "Should marijuana use be legal?

No, not illegal just about everywhere. Legal or decriminalized in lots of countries.

For when you plan your next trip, Sarge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_country

Bon voyage.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Marijuana use will not improve japan. Japan needs to have freedom from drug/substance abuse culture to improve.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

not a smoker of any kind but I believe it you make it legal it will take the point of using it away from most people - can't be a rebel if it is legal! Treat it in a similar way to alcohol but make it zero tolerance if you are driving, operating heavy equipment etc.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That this is even an issue at this stage of human evolution is absurd. If everyone in the world smoked a j every now and then, this world would be an infinitely better place...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

11 states in the USA have legal medicinal cannabis. Denver is way cool. As is San Francisco, LA. But if I remember, Maine might be one of the 11. Japanese need to mellow out. A toke or two might prevent 'karoshi' or whatever the word for death by overwork is.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

i am from the "islands", and i have seen my share of the "oooo,i dont smoke that..but they try it anyway and liked it... i never seen a ganja smoker run over people,(Drunk Driving), never seen a ganja smoker at a club fighting. (again alcohol). ganja smokers are really mellow people, yes we get hungry after a few good tokes, but what harm do we do?...ganja is here to stay and here to stay naturally as it is grown. mellow out

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I absolutely believe marijuana use should be legal. It SHOULD be used to make paper. It grows faster than trees and could be harvested more often than a forest used to make paper. It SHOULD be used as food (the seeds are very high in protein and fatty acid). I also think it should be used more for medicinal purposes and for personal use, but those are far more subjective beliefs.

Taka

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In Japan: Yes should be illegal. The status quo is currently better than the alternative. Elsewhere: Depends - they have different social issues some from the attitude of already ignoring the use of or "not seeing" all the effects of the use of it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In a land where over 30k people kill themselves every year, maybe Japan ought to give it a try. Everybody has a different high and maybe there are some people who's psychological predispositions require some adult supervision but for most everybody else, weed allows you to open doors in your mind that your normal state would never allow you to even knock on. Hey we all need a second opinion from time to time, why not go to someone you know you can trust; yourself, for answers to questions that bother you most (a litle jimmy buffet he went to paris verse).

At the very least, get high and put on The Who's Live at Leeds, sit back, relax and enjoy the show. If you don't feel the power of weed and rock and roll during magic bus, there is something wrong with ya.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I read an article the other day where they said that can test to see if you have smoked marijuana in the last 3 days. If it is true, (a tad questionable I believe) and they can refine the technology the cops could give tests "on site" like breathalyzers.

One thing I really think people who smoke pot should not do is operate heavy machinery like cars while they are stoned.

Other than that I believe pot is as safe or safer than alcohol and should be decriminalized or even legalized.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

well, look at the alternatives. alcohol. much much worse. tobacco. a big killer. wonder what the stats are worldwide for people dying from alchohol or alcohol related deaths. death from tobacco use. & death from marijuana use. marijuana gets such a bad rap & i'm not sure why . of course you shouldn't operate heavy machinery while stoned, but you sure as hell shouldn't use heavy machinery when consuming alcohol. tobacco even causes 2nd hand deaths. meaning you shouldn't even be near a person smoking tobacco.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Its all I can do to operate a box of anumal crackers, hell if I could open a bulldozer.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One thing I really think people who smoke pot should not do is operate heavy machinery like cars while they are stoned.

That's what video games are for.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

a UN scene from ali G comes to mind

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Cannabis is used in cooking in a multitude of ways.

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Cooking-with-cannabis

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The question those saying it should be illegal need to ask themselves is - why? Making it illegal has done nothing to prevent it from being easily obtained and yes, in Japan too. The whole "war on drugs" is a ridiculous, expensive fraud and people buy into it hook, line and sinker. This war costs every time some is locked up for having drugs, it costs when governments spend millions of dollars on trying to catch trafficers and eradicate the plants. And all this money spent has done nothing to decrease the number of drug users. People are going to do them anyway, again exactly what the laughable "war on drugs" has shown us. So instead of accepting that pot is really no different than alcohol, we throw people in jail, ruin their lives, waste millions of the taxpayers dollars, and allow narcotraficantes to thrive. Why can't drugs be regulated and taxed? We do it with cigarettes and alcohol. Hypocricy and ignorance in regards to drugs have done far more harm than legalization ever will but the hypocritical and ignorant among us will stubbornly refuse to accept that truth.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan has enough problems in society without involving dope. Maybe they should just legalize it for foreigners. Yeh!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

My question is exactly how would it make things worse? I don't think it will make things any better, but no one that has legalized/decriminalized it has really had in ill effects.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Everyone knows that if you smoke pot you will immediately grab a hatchet and cut up your folks like Lizzy Borden did..... Ahh propoganda....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What just cracks me up is that commercial hemp growing is illegal in the US. Anything that is made from hemp, the hemp comes from Mexico or other countries that allow the agriculture product. The US is hurting it's own farmers to keep it out of the US.

For those who don't know, agricultural hemp doesn't have the THC in it that marijuana has. < :-)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Keeping ganja illegal is simply providing criminals with a lucrative line of business, just like prohibition in the USA in the 20s. I'd go further and say that all recreational drugs should legal, controlled and taxed, just like the three most popular recreational drugs- alcohol, tobacco and caffeine.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Surely there should be a third answer option - "Stoned and Indifferent"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In the end, if people want to get hold of illegal drugs, they will continue to do so. Marijuana use in moderation is not especially harmful, except for the smoking of it - but smoking is still perfectly legal. I'm definitely not alone in considering that a major anomaly.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Keeping ganja illegal is simply providing criminals with a lucrative line of business

Yes. And the crims are powerful lobbyists with the ears of politicians. That my friends is a key reason why marijuana remains illegal. The other is conservative types who can't even be bothered to consider the issue as they continue to think they can hold back the wind that is the use of marijuana. I say: build a windmill. Make the wind work for you instead of against.

--Cirroc

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I just voted. It seems that 57 percent like government interference in people's personal lives coupled with gangs and the mafia having their cash crop protected. There are days when I think people are pretty smart. And then there are days like today.

--Cirroc

0 ( +0 / -0 )

hey caveman, you must be baked.

57% voted that mari-j shouldn't be illegal. read the question again.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I absolutely believe marijuana use should be legal. It SHOULD be used to make paper.

I believe that the best hemp varieties for making paper contain almost no THC. Hemp and marijuana are not quite the same things. Its the difference between a bulldog and a greyhound. One is good for racing and the other clearly is not.

--Cirroc

0 ( +0 / -0 )

hey caveman, you must be baked.

57% voted that mari-j shouldn't be illegal. read the question again.

The question does not say shouldn't. It says should. Should marijuana be illegal? That is the question. Those who said "yes" agree with current laws banning pot. I vote "no" because I think it should be regulated.

But after going through the thread I think many made an error. The question is misleading.

--Cirroc

0 ( +0 / -0 )

hahaha,

Q: Should marijuana be illegal?

A: No. (=Marijuana shouldn't be illegal =Marijuana should be legal)

57% voted No. 57% think that marijuana shouldn't be illegal. 57% think marijuana should be legal.

Therefore, your statement

It seems that 57 percent like government interference in people's personal lives coupled with gangs and the mafia having their cash crop protected.

is wrong because 57% want the drug to be legal.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Legalize the weed.

And TAX it.

The same goes for the rest IMO. People who want to do drugs are going to go out and do it, and as we see in the Western world, whatever you want is freely available.

Clean up the products and tax it to death.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

decriminalize it mon!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Medicinal use of cannibis should be lawful in Japan, specifically for pain control (cancer), wasting syndrome (HIV), vomiting, and hospice treatment of depression in terminal patients.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The drug should be available to adults, it is not worse than alcoholic beverages.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking MARIJUANA Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites