Japanese lawmakers pass bill legalizing medicines derived from cannabis

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japanese lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bill legalizing medical products with cannabis-derived substances while criminalizing its use as a drug.

Cannabis and tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive chemical found in the drug, were listed as regulated narcotics under the amended laws, which will enter into force within a year of their promulgation, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

Japan, which already prohibits marijuana possession and cultivation, will now criminalize its use as well, with violators facing a potential seven-year prison sentence.

The revisions will establish two types of cannabis cultivation licenses — one for medicinal use and the other for purposes like use in hemp products — set to go into force two years after the announcement.

Japan's current Cannabis Control Act forbids the possession, transfer, acceptance, import, and export of cannabis plants and products, except for licensed cultivation or research.