Marijuana Activism in Japan?

[MMM]

Let's keep the conversation to the original topic or the thread will have to be closed.

[burkhartdesu]

As far as a hemp 'movement', I've seen several videos of marijuana marches in Tokyo.

But the question is: Is this just a fad, or is it a legitimate concern towards prohibition?


Bottom line... Smoking cannabis is one of the most victimless crimes around, and is surely no more harmful than a beer.

And without the cannabis plant itself, it would be unlikely that modern Japan would be the way it is... Most rope/cloth/food for the past two thousand years has been made of durable cannabis fibers/seeds... Not to mention it was the first, second, and third most prescribed drug in the world up until its prohibition. (Which was caused by DuPont and the lumber industry.)

Though void of intoxicating THC, hemp still grows wild in Hokkaido.

[AnthraxAttack]

Drugs in Asia is a no-no. In China, if you are caugth smugling, death penalty. In Japan, 6 years of prison for a japanese for something as harmless as weed (or so i've heard) or in the case of a forigner, deportation followed by a ban. I guess Korea is just as strict as Japan and China, maybe even stricter.

The secret to live a drug life in japan is probably to keep a low profile, which is not doable for a non japanese.

You best bet is to take trips home now and then, hang out with the gang (or alone if predered) and blaze.

[Miyavifan]

Originally Posted by Sean420

I'm a frequent marijuana smoker and I know Japan is very strict on their drug laws, but how is the marijuana legalization movement in Japan (if it even exists)?

I really want to spend a few years at least in Japan during or after university but giving up smoking for that amount of years is not something I really wish to do... is there any chance it will become more tolerable in the coming years?

Originally Posted by Sean420

Sangetsu, I am completely aware of the harsh drug laws and would not bother trying to obtain marijuana if I was in Japan. There are no physically addictive properties to marijuana, so quitting for any period of time won't be a problem (it hasn't been in the past).

Anyways, thank you everybody for the replies. This hasn't changed whether I'm going to Japan or not, it's merely influenced what i'll be doing in my free time.

These two statements seem contradictory. I don't know if they really are, though.

[Sean420]

Originally Posted by Miyavifan

These two statements seem contradictory. I don't know if they really are, though.

Perhaps they blur the lines of contradiction if you don't apply logic. I was merely saying I love my herb and I'd rather not quit, but I'm quite willing to stop if I go to Japan.

[Sangetsu]

Originally Posted by ecwsickboy

Btw, Tobacco and alcohol are also drugs too, and they are socially acceptable. How many people die from drunk driving/alcohol poisoning a year in USA? tens of thousands a year. How many die from Marijuan overdose? 0 a year

Operating a vehicle under influence of marijuana also kills many people each year. The term "Under The Influence" is not restricted solely to alcohol use. 3 wrongs do not make a right, using the problems we already face with alcohol and tobacco as an excuse to justify legalizing marijuana is not logically arguable.

As for how many people die from marijuana use lately, take a look at the border towns in Mexico, close to two thousand a year are dying in just Juarez alone. The drug traffickers (who smuggle mainly marijuana) are killing anyone and everyone who stands in their way; police, judges, soldiers, as well as the family members of these people. And they don't simply just kill them, they tear them apart, beheading, mutilating, or burning the bodies to "send messages" to their competition. Mexican police shot by drug traffickers are being taken to hospitals in America because the drug traffickers are breaking into the Mexican hospitals to finish them off.

Japan is justified in not wanting the drug problem that many western nations face. Marijuana is a gateway drug (arguing otherwise is pointless), the main door to the "drug culture" which is so pervasive in other countries. It makes sense to keep the main door shut. If anything, you can probably expect drug laws to get tougher in Japan, rather than being relaxed.

As for "medical" marijuana, you can get the same effect from prescription Marinol (made from THC contained in marijuana plants), which can be taken without having to smoke anything.

[bELyVIS]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

Operating a vehicle under influence of marijuana also kills many people each year. The term "Under The Influence" is not restricted solely to alcohol use. 3 wrongs do not make a right, using the problems we already face with alcohol and tobacco as an excuse to justify legalizing marijuana is not logically arguable.

As for how many people die from marijuana use lately, take a look at the border towns in Mexico, close to two thousand a year are dying in just Juarez alone. The drug traffickers (who smuggle mainly marijuana) are killing anyone and everyone who stands in their way; police, judges, soldiers, as well as the family members of these people. And they don't simply just kill them, they tear them apart, beheading, mutilating, or burning the bodies to "send messages" to their competition. Mexican police shot by drug traffickers are being taken to hospitals in America because the drug traffickers are breaking into the Mexican hospitals to finish them off.

Japan is justified in not wanting the drug problem that many western nations face. Marijuana is a gateway drug (arguing otherwise is pointless), the main door to the "drug culture" which is so pervasive in other countries. It makes sense to keep the main door shut. If anything, you can probably expect drug laws to get tougher in Japan, rather than being relaxed.

As for "medical" marijuana, you can get the same effect from prescription Marinol (made from THC contained in marijuana plants), which can be taken without having to smoke anything.

You are talking about drug trafficking. Legalize it and there would be no more violence involved (did you see any Al Capone shootouts after Prohibition was revoked?) . As for a gateway drug, alcohol is the biggest. Almost all illegal drug users drank before using. A cop told me that all heroin and meth users all smoked tobacco and almost none used Marijuana after getting hooked.
The point is that drug abuse is lessened after it is legalized and treated as a health problem instead of a crime. Japan and all the countries need to learn this and figure out that making something illegal will never stop it. Japan will follow America's lead and legalize it after America does, this is close to happening here in the US.

[seiki]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

Almost all illegal drug users drank before using. A cop told me that all heroin and meth users all smoked tobacco and almost none used Marijuana after getting hooked.

The reason the use of marijuana is ended after they start using meth or heroin is because it is stronger so their tolerance levels have raised and it takes more marijuana to get the same high. So this makes it a gate way drug.

Also i do not see the legalization of marijuana in america coming because groups such as norml are pretty much seen as a joke to everyone except people who use marijuana.

It seems to be this way in Japan.

I also see alcohol and tabacco as a controlled substance but they don't seem to alter your mind or activities as easily.

[burkhartdesu]

It's funny that something not taxed by the Federal Government is considered a 'gateway drug' -- but something that the Government profits from, and is clearly more dangerous, doesn't have this title.

Caffeine, Tobacco, Alcohol, prescription medication-- they surely aren't the gateway drug.


Personally, the Japanese government (and all governments, for that matter) could benefit greatly from Marijuana legalization (Considering California raked in 14 billion in revenue).

Since Japan has little renewable exports, the hemp industry is the perfect outlet... Paper, seed, clothing, rope, medicine-- all could be made in Japan!

Recently the Japanese government has labeled hemp, "okay as rope, not as dope." - which is a step in the right direction.

But the idea isn't widespread because of harsh titles and misinformation.




---
In 1999, the National Institute on Drug Abuse commissioned a major study on medical marijuana conducted by the venerable Institute of Medicine, which included an examination of marijuana's potential to lead to other drug use. In simple terms, the researchers explained why the gateway theory was unfounded:

Patterns in progression of drug use from adolescence to adulthood are strikingly regular. Because it is the most widely used illicit drug, marijuana is predictably the first illicit drug most people encounter. Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used marijuana first. In fact, most drug users begin with alcohol and nicotine before marijuana -- usually before they are of legal age.
…
There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs.

[Sangetsu]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

You are talking about drug trafficking. Legalize it and there would be no more violence involved (did you see any Al Capone shootouts after Prohibition was revoked?) . As for a gateway drug, alcohol is the biggest. Almost all illegal drug users drank before using. A cop told me that all heroin and meth users all smoked tobacco and almost none used Marijuana after getting hooked.
The point is that drug abuse is lessened after it is legalized and treated as a health problem instead of a crime. Japan and all the countries need to learn this and figure out that making something illegal will never stop it. Japan will follow America's lead and legalize it after America does, this is close to happening here in the US.

In another thread on this topic, I cited government and medical studies linking the use of marijuana to schizophrenia and psychosis. Once again, marijuana is not harmless.

As for what the "cop" told you, I was a cop myself, and I know otherwise. Japan will not follow "America's lead" and legalize marijuana should America ever legalize it. You are right that making something illegal doesn't stop people from doing it; rape and murder are quite illegal, but they happen every day.

Believe it or not, people do stupid things, and society has put in place rules to limit what things people can and cannot do for the greater good of the people. A drugged society is not a free society, it is chemically enslaved. Those who enjoy marijuana so much that they risk arrest and imprisonment for it's possession are either stupid, or are chemically enslaved to it. They would argue otherwise, saying "I can quit anytime", but I've heard alcoholics say the same words countless times.