Japan took a serious step in the direction of legalizing medical marijuana this week, because the Lower House handed a invoice on Tuesday that might permit the usage of pharmaceutical merchandise derived from hashish. The invoice particularly paves the best way for the approval of Epidiolex, a drug containing cannabidiol (CBD) that’s used to deal with extreme types of epilepsy.
While the brand new regulation opens the door to medical marijuana, it additionally goals to crack down on leisure use, which stays strictly prohibited in Japan. The invoice would shut a loophole within the nation’s 1948 Cannabis Control Law, which banned the possession, cultivation and sale of hashish however didn’t explicitly prohibit its use. Under the brand new laws, utilizing hashish can be criminalized and punishable by as much as 7 years in jail.
Japan has maintained a zero-tolerance coverage on leisure marijuana use, regardless of the standard cultivation of business hemp within the nation. In current years, police have aggressively focused hashish customers – as highlighted by the current high-profile arrests of two college soccer gamers for possession.
The invoice handed Japan’s Lower House with assist from most main events, although some opposition stays. Experts cautioned that penalizing youth for hashish use might ostracize them and make rehabilitation tough. To tackle these considerations, the invoice contains provisions to assist offenders via drug training and job help packages.
The laws now heads to Japan’s Upper House. If accepted there, the brand new medical marijuana guidelines might take impact by late 2023. While marking a milestone, the regulation underscores the extensive hole between Japan’s strict anti-drug stance and the rising acceptance of hashish in elements of North America, Europe and elsewhere in Asia. Recreational use stays off the desk for now – however Tuesday’s vote cracks the door open to hashish in Japan.
Source: Japan Times