Record Number of Marijuana Arrests in Japan in 2023
The National Police Agency of Japan reported a record number of people punished for marijuana-related offenses in 2023, amid stricter cannabis laws.
Cannabis Arrests Surpass Stimulants for the First Time
Stimulants have traditionally been extremely popular in Japan. In the 1950s, up to 55,000 people per year were arrested for illegal stimulant trafficking. By the 1980s, this number had dropped to 24,000, and by the early 1990s, it fell below 15,000. During the third wave of stimulant demand in the late 1990s, police arrested a maximum of 19,722 people for these substances.
According to police data, the demand for stimulants in Japan has been declining since 2000, while cannabis use has been rising since 2015. As a result, in 2023, the number of people arrested for marijuana offenses surpassed those arrested for stimulants for the first time since records began in 1958. Last year, authorities arrested 6,482 people for cannabis and 5,914 for stimulants.
Trends in Arrest Numbers for Stimulants and Cannabis
Compared to 2022, the number of Japanese citizens caught with cannabis increased by 21%. Among those arrested for marijuana were four members of the Tokyo University of Agriculture boxing team and three American football players from Nihon University.
Youth Are the Main Marijuana Users
Over the past 10 years, the number of Japanese people arrested for cannabis has increased 3.7 times. Statistics show that the vast majority of cannabis users are young people: 73.6% of those arrested were 29 years old or younger, while only 15% were in the 30-39 age group.
Surveys of those arrested revealed that most started using marijuana out of curiosity or to fit in with friends. More than 70% of respondents believe cannabis is harmless or nearly harmless. Interestingly, among stimulant users, only 10% share this view.
Japan Criminalizes Marijuana Smoking
To curb the spread of cannabis, in December 2023, Japanese authorities criminalized marijuana smoking. The new law imposes a prison sentence of up to seven years for this offense. Government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno stated that this measure aims to deter young people from using cannabis and to reverse the trend of increasing marijuana demand.