CBD TAKES ROOT IN JAPAN AS GOVT MULLS EASING LAWS
Cannabidiol is still demonised despite its healing properties, a status quo its fans aim to upend. By Eduardo Martinez
From ingestible oils and gummies to skin lotions and makeup, products made from cannabidiol, an extract of the cannabis plant devoid of its psychoactive properties, are rapidly gaining popularity in Japan. CBD, as cannabidiol is commonly known, is touted to have numerous health benefits, such as helping treat stress and anxiety and possessing anti-inflammatory properties. CBD items are now readily available in shops in cities around the country, while trials for a British-manufactured CBD drug have also started this year.
Kazuma Uehara, 31, runs a trendy cafe in western Tokyo called Hammock that sells CBD products. Several woven sling beds hang from the ceiling, while the timber walls and rustic decor contribute to a relaxed atmosphere.
Mr Uehara first learned about CBD in early 2020 after it was recommended to him by the supplier who provided the cafe with its namesake hammocks. “I was struggling with insomnia at the time,” he recalled.
He started eating CBD gummies, and after just a few days found himself sleeping better. “I wasn’t able to sleep for more than two or three hours, but then it went up to six or seven.”
Mr Uehara now sells CBD oils and gummies at the cafe. “We have been asked if it’s really legal before,” he said. “But other customers are at ease and trust that it’s okay, as it’s just another product being sold at the cafe.”
But while the CBD industry grows, possession of the plant it is derived from remains highly illegal in Japan, stemming from a law enacted in 1948 criminalising cannabis following the end of World War II and subsequent US occupation.
In reality, hemp has been used from ancient times for items such as shimenawa sacred Japanese rope at shrines, with some farmers still licensed to cultivate the plant.
Despite recreational cannabis use being far from widespread in Japan, a record 5,783 offences involving the drug were documented last year. Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Shigeyuki Goto has said the government will “strengthen crackdowns and promote comprehensive measures” against drug abuse.
On the other hand, a CBD medication called Epidiolex has become the first of its kind to be trialed in the country for patients with rare and severe forms of epilepsy, and amid strong support from patient associations, the health ministry is looking to revise the Cannabis Control Act to make way for the drug.
Some are also calling for CBD products and potential medications that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to be made available in Japan. The constituent is responsible for cannabis’ psychoactive properties that make people feel “high”.
CBD is allowed in Japan as products derived from the stalks and seeds of cannabis are not criminalised, according to the law, unlike those made from extracts concentrated in other parts of the plant, such as THC.
“The issue is figuring out up to what amount of THC [in a product] is acceptable,” said Tomohiko Mizuno, representative director of the Association of Japan Cannabinoid, which supports revision of the cannabis act.
A former lawmaker, the 66-year-old says Japan “does not allow values other than zero” and thinks that it should set legal standards for THC content from a “rational point of view, as other countries have set”.
Mr Mizuno, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives until 2012, first learned about CBD in 2014. Also a qualified dentist, he took interest in CBD’s medicinal properties, and the benefits they could have for people in Japan’s ageing society.
Hirotsugu Suzuki, 49, knows from experience how tricky it can be running a CBD business, after he founded his company Organy Inc in 2015 and created the first CBD skincare line in Japan.
“There were many difficulties like liaising with the health ministry and customs,” Mr Suzuki said. “There was nowhere to manufacture the products as well. I really started from zero.”
But he believes CBD has vast potential. He has since expanded to items such as tinctures and even pet treats, and recently collaborated with a flower shop in Tokyo’s upscale Aoyama district to put his products on display in its storefront window.
Meanwhile, US company Medical Marijuana Inc said the Japan division of its CBD-selling subsidiary had its bestever month of revenue in May.
According to data provider Statista, Japan is projected to become the second-largest CBD market in Asia by 2024, behind only China.
With the widespread stigma surrounding anything cannabis-related in Japan, a person who asked to only be identified by their initials Y I, said CBD had helped with the anxiety triggered by their bipolar disorder.
“A lot of people think that cannabis equates to hard drugs. But I think that they would accept it if it were promoted for medical purposes,” the person said.
Mizuki Ishii, 33, agrees. Cannabis, she says, is generally demonised in Japan, although those with experience living overseas tend to think differently.
Ms Ishii proclaims to be a regular user of CBD, which she initially bought to help with her premenstrual syndrome.