Japan Says “Yes” to Medical Cannabis, but “Heck No” to Smoking: 7 Years in Jail, Seriously?

35 comments

1. Wow, I’ve had friends get arrested and they did about a month behind bars. Fuck, this is insane.

2. ….. Maybe because smoking it can, potentially, affect surrounding people?

   That wouldn’t happen if you ingested it as a traditional medicine.

   I dunno – I don’t really care either way tbh.
   **They can ban regular smoking too, while they’re at it.** Let us be rid of that shit already,

3. What does that actually mean though? Like if your caught smoking it? Or have confessed to smoking it? Have it in your system? 7 years? That’s very vague (although probably vague on purpose)

4. [deleted]

5. Worth it for pedo smokers.

6. This new law does not allow medical cannabis.

   It has nothing to do with medical cannabis like we see in other countries.

   It simply allows an epilepsy drug that is derived from cannabis.

   So many English articles get this wrong. If you are for legalization, this is a big step backward.

7. Maximum sentences aren’t automatic sentences. Is this a difficult concept? Yes it’s a shit law but you ain’t getting 7 years for a single joint.

8. no wonder the music/film industry sucks so much

9. So stupid…

10. It is so confusing because I just found out it is opposite in the US, where CBD can be more regulated than straight up cannabis, I guess because CBD is processed.

11. We need these old people in politics to start popping their clogs. Wildly out of touch with pretty much everything in the world.

12. I really don’t see what the urgency some people seem to display when they hear about these penalties. It’s not like Japanese people want legalization and the government doesn’t want to legalize things that are hard to tax. Medical cannabis makes sense since there are actual benefits but no one is suffering because they can’t smoke pot recreationally, including people that used to partake overseas

13. Smoking anything sucks and should just be banned. Cigarettes too.

    But I mean theme’s the breaks. Don’t smoke weed and if you can’t help it, don’t move to Japan. Seems fairly simple.

14. People might realize that commuting and sitting for hours in a Soviet-era-esque office every day ain’t worth it.

15. The reason they say no smoking is because the “medical cannabis” will come in some kind of delivery system. A particular number of compounds that stop nausea, another that helps epilepsy, etc. Likely an inhaler or patch, since that’s how they can make ¥¥¥ off a natural compound. If it’s going to be legal it means it has to be prescribeable and the average doc has to understand how it works. “Burning inhaled leaf smoke” is not likely to be seen as healthy, but a spray or inhaler is, cream, tablet etc. The point is to get it on the formulary and paid for by insurance.

16. Is the 7 years jail thing a new law? What was the penalty previously?

17. So they just allowed a drug company to claim copyright on cannabis in Japan.

    While I don’t smoke and don’t care, I don’t have a negative view of it, and can distinguish the motives by squinting.

    This sounds like a very J-Corp friendly cash grab to me.

18. It stinks up the entire neighborhood when people smoke it. Good move Japan, and don’t be swayed by a tiny very vocal minority. Even in Thailand they wound back the legalization after a year because for most people it’s a big nuisance. We all know smokers have no respect and are constantly pushing the boundaries. Legalize it under close restrictions, and next thing you know the neighbor downstairs is smoking it on their balcony. Law enforcement is very weak here. It’s social rules that are assumed to be adhered to, but smokers don’t care.

19. Essentially, it means pharmaceutical companies can synthesize medications which use cannabis as one of their key ingredients, however when making the legislation they also figured, “hey, while we are at it, let’s make sure no one gets the wrong idea about us thinking that we opening accept people using cannabis on it’s own (even for medicinal purposes) by significantly increasing the penalties for doing so” i.e. from up to 1 year into 7 years.

20. I mean, if anyone was expecting something different, it has to be really naive. I see this staying the same for a while.

21. Imagine being so angry about not being able to smoke cannabis. Is this the most important thing in your life that you feel the need to be so passionate and vocal about it? And especially in Japan?

22. Lol I believe it Japanese are very reserved

23. If it is legalized in a hundred years, it’s gonna be monopolized by JT and be sold at a 4000% markup.

24. Let’s goooo, Japanese edibles!

25. Drug junkies trying so hard to bring this rubbish to japan lol. No thanks. They should keep harsh punishments in place. You smoke and you get put in prison.

26. Well, people don’t actually get 7 years in prison. By law, the maximum for bicycle thieves is 3 years in prison, but I’ve never seen such a case. In fact, if a person is caught, they end up with a fine.
    With marijuana, it is not a crime to smoke it, it is a crime to possess it. And if it’s your first offense, it’s a suspended sentence.

27. Medical pot was long before discussed among the psychiatrists but simultaneously gov suffuses anti pot propaganda and public eat up.
    So crazy juxtaposition is possible imo

    My thought on this law and public perception of pot is how unfreedom of the press rendered Japanese ppl limitedly informed.
    I used to live in North America so my sense is totally different maybe but Japanese friends of mine lately said to me that they need be more informed to think rationally.
    They started subscribing to WSJ and other us newspapers

28. I have no problem with this. The devil’s lettuce was legalized back home and it is nasty. I go back to my home town and all I can smell is piss and weed smoke. Like people need more excuses to be lazy and unproductive. Keep it out of My Japan!

29. It’s the Shichimi Spice cartel wanting to maintain a monopoly of hemp seeds

30. There prepping, same thing happened in Canada and US

31. Just because you believe one thing doesn’t mean a whole country has to. Relax

32. Many drugs are by prescription only.

    And abuse of many drugs can also get punishments.

    I personally hate cigarette smoke, can’t imagine the social impact if people starts smoking cannabis in apartment housing.

33. Objectively, if people weren’t fucking idiots, it should be legal for the use of relief. Unfortunately it stays illegal for societal reasons. Cannabis promotes “pothead culture” for lack of a better word– bunch of dumbasses get to use it for the purpose of “being chill” and they spread it around, making more and more people get on the cool-to-smoke-weed wagon, and it becomes a part of the delinquent starter kit. Becomes a minor cancer in society. You can see how big of an effect its had on American society for example: (am american born and raised btw) the pothead culture is full of people that are massive idiots and make it their whole identity (of course there are exceptions)

34. Quickly making it apparent Japan doesn’t care about tourism lol. Imagine the cash from other Asian nations when one finally legalizes.

35. MJ interferes with worker productivity which I think is the major motivator for it being criminalized so heavily.