Cannabis in Japan
Cannabis in Japan has been illegal since 1948. Use and possession are punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a fine. Cultivation, sale, and transport are punishable by up to 7 to 10 years imprisonment and a fine.[1]
History
Ancient history
Cannabis has been cultivated in Japan since the pre-Neolithic period, for its fibres and as a food source, and possibly as a psychoactive material.[2] While archaeological evidence supports the use of cannabis as a textile (hemp), there is no conclusive archaeological evidence for its medicinal use.
Cannabis Control Law (1948)
The CCL was first developed in 1930, with modifications made in 1947, 1948, and 1963.[3] The 1948 law adopted a licensing system for dealers, and punishments for unlicensed use or sale.[4]
Popularization
Cannabis began to gain some favor as a drug in Japan in the 1970s as incomes rose, but remained less popular (including among youth) than amphetamines.[3]
Supply
Most cannabis consumed in Japan is imported from other countries; some illicit cultivation sites were found in Japan in 2009, but most of them were small.[5] In a notable exception, in 2016 a raid in Wakayama Prefecture seized over 10,000 plants, which police deemed an "extraordinary amount" compared to past raids.[6]
Cannabis Museum
The Taima Hakubutsukan was established in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, in 2001, by cannabis historian Junichi Takayasu.[7]
References
- ↑ Cannabis Control Law, japanhemp.org, retrieved 2015-08-04
- ↑ Robert C. Clarke; Mark D. Merlin (1 September 2013). Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany. Univ of California Press. pp. 96–. ISBN 978-0-520-27048-0.
- 1 2 Caterina Gouvis Roman; Heather Ahn-Redding; Rita James Simon (2007). Illicit Drug Policies, Trafficking, and Use the World Over. Lexington Books. pp. 172–174. ISBN 978-0-7391-2088-0.
- ↑ Minoru Shikita; Shinichi Tsuchiya (6 December 2012). Crime and Criminal Policy in Japan: Analysis and Evaluation of the Showa Era, 1926–1988. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 13–. ISBN 978-1-4612-2816-5.
- ↑ William R. Brownfield (1 May 2011). International Narcotics Control Strategy Report: Volume I: Drug and Chemical Control. DIANE Publishing. pp. 380–. ISBN 978-1-4379-8272-5.
- ↑ "Police raid on rural Wakayama factory nets ¥2 billion in cannabis plants". The Japan Times. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ↑ "The Secret History of Cannabis in Japan | The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus". Apjjf.org. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
