Japan embraces CBD sold in drinks, candies and vapes at cafes and health stores, but keeps strict laws on marijuana’s recreational use
- Consumption of non-psychoactive CBD, or cannabidiol, is legal in Japan if extracted from the cannabis plant’s seeds or fully grown stems
- The government is discussing approving cannabis-derived medicines, while continuing to crack down on recreational use of the cannabis that gives you a high
With its zero-tolerance cannabis laws, deep social stigma against the drug and moves to tighten rules on consumption, Japan is no stoner’s paradise.
But you wouldn’t guess it watching Ai Takahashi and her friends twerking, body-rolling and lighting up to the weed anthem Young, Wild & Free at a tiny, packed club in Tokyo.
What they’re smoking isn’t illegal marijuana, but a joint containing cannabidiol (CBD) – a non-intoxicating active component of cannabis that has become trendy worldwide and is catching on in Japan.
“When I was a child, I was taught at school and everywhere else that marijuana is an absolute no-no, and that’s what I believed too,” Takahashi said. “But being a huge reggae fan, I had a chance to smoke it when I travelled to places where it’s legal.”
The 33-year-old dancer became interested in CBD, which is legal in Japan if extracted from the plant’s seeds or fully grown stems, but not from the leaves or flowers, is sold in vapes, drinks and confectionery at specialist cafes and health stores; there is even a shop in Tokyo’s main airport.