This week, Australian medical marijuana company Elixinol launched their first ad campaign in Japan, with a billboard, located in the Tokyo subway. It’s a milestone moment for hemp in a country that has notoriously resisted medical marijuana legalization, and can be taken as a sign that the cultural tide in one of the world’s largest consumer markets is shifting towards legalization.
Japan Has Long Fought Marijuana Legalization
Japan has some of the strictest weed laws—and most expensive bud—in the world. The nation has a zero-tolerance policy for possession, and you can even receive jail time for a single offense. This is especially true for foreigners, who are likely to be made an example.
The island’s anti-weed position applies to medical marijuana, too; despite Japan’s rapidly aging population, whose members could benefit from cannabis’ anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties, there is no legal way to access marijuana.
The media also villanizes celebrities caught with weed. Saya Takagi, TV and film actress, ran for public office in 2016 on a platform of legalizing medical marijuana. After Takagi’s unsuccessful bid, the police charged her with possession of a few grams of marijuana. Soon after, TV stations stopped playing her movies, and the media launched a widespread attack on her character.
In response to her arrest, Japan Times quoted health officials and professors who described marijuana as a gateway drug. The health minister added that it has no medical purpose according to the World Health Organization—which is not the organization’s stance.
Not only is weed difficult to afford and even harder to find in the first place in Japan, it’s the subject of widespread public and government misinformation.
Now Hemp Farming Is Legal In Japan, and So Is CBD
The Japanese have been farming hemp