One thing I always tell people about Japan is: don’t use drugs. Don’t even think about using drugs. Many people who’ve become accustomed to the liberal drug policies in their countries – especially around marijuana – don’t realize that Japan doesn’t joke around when it comes to drug possession.
In fact, as recent news shows, Japan is getting even more strict when it comes to dope.
Until now, possession and sale of marijuana have been illegal. The use of marijuana, however, has technically not. That changes as of December 12th, with marijuana or THC use added to the list of crimes police can slap you with.
Marijuana became illegal due to the influence of the occupying Allies after World War II, with the Controlled Substances Act banning its possession and sale. However, the law didn’t ban usage, mainly out of consideration for hemp farmers who grow hemp rope for use in the trademark shimenawa rope used in Shinto shrines. Hemp farmers have reportedly partaken of the plant on breaks; up until now, the law avoided criminalizing that harmless behavior.
Medical marijuana gets legalized
The change comes as marijuana use in Japan becomes more prevalent among the young, particularly among high schoolers and college students. A report by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Japan Police Agency last year said there were 6,703 cases, pushing marijuana use past amphetamine use for the first time. 72.9% of those cases (4,887) were among kids under 20 – a six-fold increase compared to the 745 cases in 2014.
Before now, if police couldn’t find any marijuana on someone’s person or in their living residence, they often couldn’t prosecute. With the new law, police will be able to take hair and urine samples if they have other evidence – e.g., a pipe – that someone’s been using The Devil’s Lettuce.
On the bright side, the new law allows for the use of marijuana for those who truly need it. The same bill that cracks down on usage has also cleared the way for medicinal uses of THC. Growing marijuana for medical use will become legal as of March 2025. That’s good news for people who suffer from chronic pain and severe illnesses.
Last year, Japan closed a legal loophole by banning gummies containing Hexahydrocannabihexol, or HHCH, a synthetic form of THC, after gummy use landed several people in the hospital.
Any drug use in Japan is socially stigmatized; drug use by a celebrity is often a career-ending scandal. Last year, Nihon University found itself in hot water when it came out that college officials had turned a blind eye to rampant use of marijuana on the institution’s football team.
Cannabis legalization has its supporters in Japan. Last year, Japan’s Hemp Party ran two candidates in local elections. In a poetic turn, one of them lost by exactly 420 votes.
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