Current Events > Marijuana is now the most abused substance in Japan.

(+) Yeah! (+)

An estimated 1.3 million Japanese people aged 15 to 64 have used marijuana, surpassing for the first time the number of those who have abused inhalants such as paint thinner, a survey by a national institute showed Sunday.

The National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry in Tokyo's Kodaira has conducted the substance abuse survey biennially since 1995, and the latest one was sent out to 5,000 people in that age bracket between September and October 2017, with 2,899 of them responding.

The national center calculated the estimated figure of 1,331,765 habitual and non-habitual marijuana users, an increase of around 380,000 from the previous survey, based on population ratios and other factors, while the survey showed declines for the numbers of people who have inhaled organic solvents and used so-called "dangerous drugs."

Among the respondents, 1.4 percent said they have used marijuana, up 0.4 points from the previous survey, followed by solvents at 1.1 percent, down 0.4 points, and methamphetamines at 0.5 percent, unchanged from the previous survey.

Since the government has tightened regulations on "dangerous drugs" that can cause effects similar to those of narcotics and stimulants, authorities suspect more people are using marijuana instead of "dangerous drugs."

Police took actions against more than 3,000 people -- a record high -- last year over incidents related to marijuana, including teenagers who were arrested for possessing it, and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's Narcotics Control Department has intensified its activities as well.

There are concerns that young people in particular are susceptible to marijuana use out of curiosity, with some believing marijuana is less harmful than other types of drugs.

According to the survey, 2.3 to 5.0 percent of teenagers and people in their 20s and 30s said using marijuana is fine if it is "just a small amount" or they believe it is a matter of "individual freedom," far exceeding the percentages of people in their 40s to 60s who gave the same answers.

Also, more than 3 percent of the respondents in their 20s and 30s said they have faced situations in which other people tempted them to use marijuana.

"The scope of exposure to marijuana among young people was bigger than I imagined. I'm worried about the expansion of abuse among them," said Takuya Shimane, section chief at the center's National Institute of Mental Health who conducted the survey.

The Kochi prefectural police have arrested high school students and others for trading in marijuana at outdoor music events.

Other incidents causing alarm include the confiscation of concentrated forms of marijuana such as marijuana liquid and wax, which are highly potent and more dangerous, according to the authorities.

Full Article: https://japantoday.com/category/crime/marijuana-tops-paint-thinner-as-most-abused-substance-in-japan



It's interesting that of all the foreign things Japanese society rejects for the desire to retain it's culture... Pot and McDonalds have taken off.
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UnfairRepresent posted...

Marijuana is now the most abused substance in Japan.

UnfairRepresent posted...

have used

ITT: Use = abuse.
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Good for them
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lol "abusing" marijuana

lol either childish or intentionally misleading wording

UnfairRepresent posted...

a record high

Omnislasher posted...

lol "abusing" marijuana

lol either childish or intentionally misleading wording

UnfairRepresent posted...

a record high

Sigless user logic
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Passed paint thinner for #1 lol
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Those percentages are so small that it's still the fringes of society. Probably people who have foreign friends or visit the west often.
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Good. Get the weed smokers up and the inhalanters down.

Inhalants kill your brain and your lungs...pretty soon you'll be a thinkn't breathen't vegetable

Abused

UR being UR
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Mango Sauce posted...

Those percentages are so small that it's still the fringes of society. Probably people who have foreign friends or visit the west often.

Not really. The data in Japan shows that it is growing and growing among Japanese Youth.

Going "It's a small margin!" is kinda silly when it's rising so quickly.
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Okay I see the point.
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My biggest concern if I ever to take a trip to Japan would be getting my hands on some dank.

Sucks that there is such a strong stigma against it in Japan.
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It's weird how they don't like weed
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UnfairRepresent posted...

Mango Sauce posted...

Those percentages are so small that it's still the fringes of society. Probably people who have foreign friends or visit the west often.

Not really. The data in Japan shows that it is growing and growing among Japanese Youth.

Going "It's a small margin!" is kinda silly when it's rising so quickly.

That's fair enough and not untrue. I didn't get any kind of real opiniony vibe from your post, so unless I'm reading it wrong, you aren't insinuating anything about it one way or another and are simply reporting the facts and the numbers that go along with them, and some people here are being a bit reactionary and assuming the premise of your topic is centered on your take on the circumstances rather than simply reporting them, which was not the impression I got.
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ImTheMacheteGuy posted...

you aren't insinuating anything about it one way or another and are simply reporting the facts and the numbers that go along with them,

Yes
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UnfairRepresent posted...

surpassing for the first time the number of those who have abused inhalants such as paint thinner

good

UnfairRepresent posted...

There are concerns that young people in particular are susceptible to marijuana use out of curiosity, with some believing marijuana is less harmful than other types of drugs.

That's cause it is How many people have died of a marijuana overdose?
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Bullshit. Can't be higher than alcohol.

Lol @ people having a problem with the term abused. Jesus Christ potheads can be ignorant.

Edit: I stand corrected because I interpreted it as people saying mariujana can't be abused. It seems like people are saying not all use is abuse, in which case I agree.
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ChainedRedone posted...

Bullshit. Can't be higher than alcohol.

Obviously they are talking about illegal substances.
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ChainedRedone posted...

Bullshit. Can't be higher than alcohol.

alcohol is legal
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UnfairRepresent posted...

It's interesting that of all the foreign things Japanese society rejects for the desire to retain it's culture

I think this is a bit of a misunderstanding. The idea that Japan hates foreign culture is straight up wrong. The Meiji Restoration was actually the beginning of a huge adaptation of foreign culture. Everything from schools to liquor was taken from various foreign cultures and adapted to Japan in an attempt to westernize and curb colonialism in the east. Japanese culture was actually actively resisted and presented as archaic. There are tons of examples of foreign culture taking off in Japan; just look at the weird Japanese cowboy subculture. The only reason that Japanese culture came back was that occupying Americans encouraged a 'samurai' resurgence.

Dash_Harber posted...

The idea that Japan hates foreign culture is straight up wrong.

You ever been to Japan?

It's like being a Mexican at a Republican conference.
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UnfairRepresent posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

The idea that Japan hates foreign culture is straight up wrong.

You ever been to Japan?

It's like being a Mexican at a Republican conference.

There is a difference between hating people and hating their culture or being xenophobic and being an ethnocentrist. You do understand the history of things like The Meiji Restoration, right? The only reason they were even a threat in WW2 was because of it, and that was a direct adoption of foreign culture.

Japan has a long ass history of liberally taking from other cultures and making their own 'Japanese version'.

I thought the reason Brock was always squinting in Pokemon was because he was super stoned the whole time
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Dash_Harber posted...

. You do understand the history of things like The Meiji Restoration, right?

No
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UnfairRepresent posted...

alcohol is legal

I'm not sure what your point is. Alcohol being legal doesn't prevent it from being abused, and the article only says the most abused substance, it doesn't say the most abused illegal substance.

Sativa_Rose posted...

I thought the reason Brock was always squinting in Pokemon was because he was super stoned the whole time

He does train rock pokemon ...
"I choose you Geoduuuuuuuude"

JE19426 posted...

I'm not sure what your point is. Alcohol being legal doesn't prevent it from being abused, and the article only says the most abused substance, it doesn't say the most abused illegal substance.

I wonder what their definition of 'abuse' is. I imagine there is a certain threshold where alcohol consumption isn't considered abuse but is that the same for weed? Or is it just any consumption considered 'abuse', because that would really skew the stats.

UnfairRepresent posted...

No

You should look it up. It's super interesting. It's actually an incredibly precedent for this sort of thing. Modern Japan was basically founded as an early 19th century European country.

JE19426 posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

alcohol is legal

I'm not sure what your point is. Alcohol being legal doesn't prevent it from being abused, and the article only says the most abused substance, it doesn't say the most abused illegal substance.

I'm not sure what your point is. It should be obvious that legal substances like alcohol and tobacco are excluded.
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action52 posted...

JE19426 posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

alcohol is legal

I'm not sure what your point is. Alcohol being legal doesn't prevent it from being abused, and the article only says the most abused substance, it doesn't say the most abused illegal substance.

I'm not sure what your point is. It should be obvious that legal substances like alcohol and tobacco are excluded.

He's just trying to get into a semantics argument.
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action52 posted...

I'm not sure what your point is. It should be obvious that legal substances like alcohol and tobacco are excluded.

Why would they be excluded? It's a study by the The National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry not a crime agency.

shnangyboos posted...

He's just trying to get into a semantics argument.

Nope, try again.

shnangyboos posted...

action52 posted...

JE19426 posted...

UnfairRepresent posted...

alcohol is legal

I'm not sure what your point is. Alcohol being legal doesn't prevent it from being abused, and the article only says the most abused substance, it doesn't say the most abused illegal substance.

I'm not sure what your point is. It should be obvious that legal substances like alcohol and tobacco are excluded.

He's just trying to get into a semantics argument.

Yeah, just sounds like he wants argue over nothinng
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Weed causes aids, fuck that drug.
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UnfairRepresent posted...

Yeah, just sounds like he wants argue over nothinng

Sigless user logic.

Oh and the image of Japanese "hating" foreigners is definitely overstated. It's nothing like the way conservatives treat blacks, Muslims, or latinos. Interestingly it's probably closer to the way east Asians are treated than anything else. A lot of patronizing and they love to say all the "good" stereotypes. There's still a sense of "us" versus "them" but generally not a hostile or paranoid one. Of course there are still subtle forms of discrimination in terms of being easily intimidated, more likely to blame for a crime, etc. But probably less than bigoted Americans would be.

Of course there are problems. One problem with Japanese xenophobia/racism is be that because it's so subtle, it's almost never questioned and much more deeply ingrained. It's hard to even have discussions with Japanese people about it.

But to feel like "a Mexican at a Republican conference" seems a little ingrained. Unless you're talking about the mainstream, "friendly" side where they push all these policies that are terrible for your race but act like they're being fair and it's just the best for everybody, and acting like they totally like and accept you but it's really obviously phony. I guess Japan resembles that aspect a little.

But very little hatefulness and they actually consume a lot of foreign products and pop culture.

SOURCE: I am sitting in the staff room of a Japanese elementary school as I type this.
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action52 posted...

But to feel like "a Mexican at a Republican conference" seems a little ingrained. Unless you're talking about the mainstream,

I'm talking about my experience in Japan dude.
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JE19426 posted...

action52 posted...
I'm not sure what your point is. It should be obvious that legal substances like alcohol and tobacco are excluded.

Why would they be excluded? It's a study by the The National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry not a crime agency.

Because like it or not, illegal drugs are often categorized differently than legal ones. I'm sure they have had studies of the effects of legal substances too but they probably don't feel the need to compare them to illegal ones.

It's always been this way. Did you not know that?
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UnfairRepresent posted...

action52 posted...

But to feel like "a Mexican at a Republican conference" seems a little exaggerated. Unless you're talking about the mainstream,

I'm talking about my experience in Japan dude.

Well I'm wondering why you felt that way. Like I said there's plenty of condescension and "positive" stereotyping but not a lot of hostility.
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action52 posted...

Because like it or not, illegal drugs are often categorized differently than legal ones. I'm sure they have had studies of the effects of legal substances too but they probably don't feel the need to compare them to illegal ones.

Why would they be put in different categorie by a non-legal, non-crime organisation? It makes no sense for them to go "well these have similar effects but the law says they are x and not y so we'll seperate them".

JE19426 posted...

action52 posted...

Because like it or not, illegal drugs are often categorized differently than legal ones. I'm sure they have had studies of the effects of legal substances too but they probably don't feel the need to compare them to illegal ones.

Why would they be put in different categorie by a non-legal, non-crime organisation? It makes no sense for them to go "well these have similar effects but the law says they are x and not y so we'll seperate them".

If you can find a way to go back in time 150 years and change the way we think about them, that would be awesome.

I'm wondering how you made it this far in life without noticing though.
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action52 posted...

If you can find a way to go back in time 150 years and change the way we think about them, that would be awesome.

What a non-statement.

JE19426 posted...

action52 posted...

If you can find a way to go back in time 150 years and change the way we think about them, that would be awesome.

What a non-statement.

No, yours is a non-statement.

Yeah, it would be great if society didn't divide substances based on what was arbitrarily determined immoral and illegal in the Victorian era. But they do. You're just pointing out what everyone knows. What is the point?
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authorities suspect more people are using marijuana instead of "dangerous drugs."

lol glad they admit pot isnt dangerous
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Good. Maybe they'll lighten tf up.
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Lordgold666 posted...

authorities suspect more people are using marijuana instead of "dangerous drugs."

lol glad they admit pot isnt dangerous

Its in quotes

The point is pot users don't think it is dangerous
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action52 posted...

No, yours is a non-statement.

Yeah, it would be great if society didn't divide substances based on what was arbitrarily determined immoral and illegal in the Victorian era. But they do. You're just pointing out what everyone knows. What is the point?

No, my statement is a question. You can tell by the question marks at the end.

JE19426 posted...

action52 posted...

No, yours is a non-statement.

Yeah, it would be great if society didn't divide substances based on what was arbitrarily determined immoral and illegal in the Victorian era. But they do. You're just pointing out what everyone knows. What is the point?

No, my statement is a question. You can tell by the question marks at the end.

okay
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tc
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How can anyone choose a dirty plant from the ground compared to clean carefully formulated paint thinner?
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