Japan Implements Revised Laws to Criminalize Cannabis Use

Tokyo, Dec. 12 (Jiji Press)--Japan on Thursday put into effect revised cannabis and narcotics control laws that criminalize the use of cannabis and impose a penalty of up to seven years in prison for the crime.

The revised laws also allow the use of cannabis-derived medicines if their efficacy and safety are confirmed.

Under the revised laws, cannabis and tetrahydrocannabinol, a harmful substance in cannabis, are classified as narcotics. Possession and transfer of cannabis are punishable by up to seven years in prison, compared with up to five years before the revisions.

The licensing system for the cultivation of cannabis plants will be revised in 2025 to introduce two types of licenses, one for the production of ingredients of cannabis plant products and the other for drug components.

The revised laws were enacted on Dec. 6 last year and promulgated a week later.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]