The of Japan, aka 1948 Law No. 124, is the national law of Japan concerning cannabis possession, cultivation, and transfer.

Enforcement target

According to Article 1 of the same Act, the term "hemp" in this Act means "hemp grass (Cannabis Sativa el) and its products, resins are included therein, mature stems and seeds and their products are excluded It is stipulated. It is because hemp seed is used for

shichimi , also known as or simply ''shichimi'', is a common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients. Tōgarashi is the Japanese name for ''Capsicum annuum'', a red pepper native to Central and South America, and it is this ingredient that ...

because it is not regulated. Article 2 of the same law is a provision on handlers of cannabis and Article 3 prohibits production, distribution, "use for research" other than cannabis handlers. Article 4, paragraph 1, item 2 of the law prohibits the use and application of medicines manufactured from "marijuana" to any person. This point is different from the fact that morphine designated as a drug in the drug and cosmetic drug regulation is approved for medical use only, as methamphetamine designated as a stimulant in the Stimulant Drug Control Law is approved. Article 4, paragraph 1, item 4 of the same law prohibits cannabis advertising except in specific cases. However, unlike other drug control laws, "possession and use" together will be subject to control, whereas the Cannabis Control Law can not punish for "cannabis use only". This is because hemp is growing in nature and there is a possibility that hemp may be aspirated without knowing it.

Enactment and amendment of law

At the first

International Opium Convention The expression International Opium Convention refers either to the first International Opium Convention signed at The Hague in 1912, or to the second International Opium Convention signed at Geneva in 1925. First International Opium Convention ...

in 1912, a resolution was made prohibiting the abuse of opium, morphine and cocaine, but the ratification of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

had extended to 1919. In this case, it was said that it was desirable for India cannabis to be researched from a scientific standpoint. Then, in 1925 (Taisho 14), in the Second Opium Convention, the international Regulation of cannabis began as "India cannabis", with the provision of restrictions on the use of India cannabis preparations for medical and academic purposes only, and regulations on import and export and illegal trade. In Japan, in 1930 (Showa 5), "Drug Control Regulations (Interior Ordinance 17)" was enacted, and cannabis was designated as a drug. The provisions of those days were related to the manufacture of cannabis (notification to the Interior Minister), import and export and transfer procedures, etc. After that, the drug control rule was integrated into the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act of enactment in 1943, but cannabis was still subject to drug designation and was regulated. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the crackdown on cannabis "drug raw plant cultivation, drug production" was enacted as a Potsdam ordinance based on the so-called Potsdam Emergency Decree (Imperial Decree No. 542, 1945, "Orders to be Issued in Consequence of the Acceptance of the

Potsdam Declaration The Potsdam Declaration, or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S. Truman, Uni ...

"). It was started by Import and export Prohibition (No. 46 of the Ministry of Health and Welfare), and hemp was designated as a narcotic and the cultivation of hemp grass was completely prohibited. Then, also, as the Ministry of the Potsdam Ordinance "Cannabis Regulation (Welfare and Agriculture Ordinance No. 1 of Showa 22)" has been enacted to regulate the cannabis independent from the drug, allowing the cultivation of hemp by permission. The import, export, possession, and the sale of hemp were restricted. In 1948 (Showa 23), the drug control law that unified the opium method (Law No. 123 in 1947) was enacted, hemp cultivation is mainly due to differences between farmers and morphine, which are mainly related to medical institutions, apart from the drug control law. The Cannabis Control Law was newly enacted and the rules for cannabis control were abolished. In the Cannabis Control Law, the treatment of cannabis was limited only to academic research and collection of textiles and seeds, and the handling of cannabis was a license system. In addition, we prohibit the possession, cultivation, import and export of cannabis by unlicensed, and stipulate the penalty. The cannabis Control Law has been amended dozens of times. In 1953, the definition of cannabis was revised as "large hemp and its products," and hemp grass seeds were excluded from the regulations. In 1963, a legal sentence for penalties was raised in the amendment. In 1990, the amendment was the provision of weighted punishment for profit-making, such as cultivation, import, export, transfer, acquisition, possession, etc. and the newly established crime, intermediation, and other crimes for the attempted crimes, cultivation, import and export. In recent years, the international public opinion that the regulation should be strengthened because of the increasing number of international illicit transactions such as narcotics, in 1984, the United Nations General Assembly began a study of the

United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 is one of three major drug control treaties currently in force. It provides additional legal mechanisms for enforcing the 1961 Single Con ...

. It was adopted in Vienna, 1988. In response to this Treaty, the amendment of the drug-related law, including the Cannabis Control Law, was made in 1991. In this, expansion of the range of punishment of the crime of provision of funds, expansion of the scope of confiscation to vehicles, etc. that were used for the transportation of cannabis, and the establishment of the rules for the deportation.

References

Sources

* {{Cannabis in Japan 1948 in Japan 1948 in law Cannabis in Japan Cannabis law Drug policy of Japan