Tag: Japan

The nascent cannabis market in Japan has reportedly seen a massive increase in recent years.  That is according to a newly published report by Euromonitor International, which revealed a “staggering growth in Japan’s cannabis market over the past four years.” The market, according to the report, expanded “approximately sixfold from JPY4 billion (USD26.3 million) in 2019 to JPY24 billion (USD173.8 million) in 2023,” a surge that was “attributed to the rising demand for products offering relaxation, sleep improvement, and stress relief.” Euromonitor… Read more.

Japan’s lower house of the National Diet on Tuesday passed a measure to legalize cannabis-derived pharmaceuticals, the Japan Times reports. The bill would also close a loophole in the country’s 1948 Cannabis Control Law, which bans possession, trade, and cultivation of cannabis and related products but does not contain a specific reference to use.  Under the bill, cannabis would be added as a banned substance under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law, and violations of the law would be punishable by up… Read more.

According to a recent report from The Japan News, the region with the most hemp cultivation in Japan is the Tochigi Prefecture, located north of Tokyo. Farmers in the area initially cultivated a variety of hemp called Tochigishiro in 1982, which they still grow today. The number of hemp farmers has dwindled, with 6,000 growers in the Tochigi Prefecture at its peak, down to just 12 today. Many of these remaining growers are in their 60s and 70s. One 44 year old cultivator, Yoshinori… Read more.