[edelweiss]

Where I live it is not uncommon to see people walking down the street smoking pot even though it is not legal. Most locals consider it to be a soft drug like having a beer so if someone is smoking pot outside of a bar nobody seems to care. Cops don't harass anyone about as long as it's not being smoked right in front of them and you're otherwise obeying the law. The police certainly get called if anyone is seen trying to take any other drugs on the street though!

I do recall that the first time I went to Japan in 2002 there were Rastafarian themed shops that had neon psychedelic mushroom signs in their windows. I was told that psilocybin mushrooms were completely legal at the time but that the law was changing.

I have wondered when seeing Japanese Rastafarians in Tokyo if they are able to live the full lifestyle or if it's just about the fashion? With the harsh penalties for drug offenders and the difficulty in concealing the smell of marijuana in such close quarters I would think it would not be much of an option even though it is a part of their religion.

What I have seen in Tokyo are people who use methamphetamines. If you know what to look for, you notice there are quite a few of them and it's not pretty.