The Japanese government is set to submit a bill that would revise the Cannabis Control Law and allow the use of medical marijuana, reports The Japan News.
An outline of bills has suggested that the government is considering allowing patients with intractable diseases to be treated with marijuana. This would mean revising the current Cannabis Control Law with the proposed revision simultaneously criminalising the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, reports The Japan News.
Currently, the use of marijuana in medicine is forbidden in Japan due to its intoxicating effect, however there are no penalties for its use since farmers who are allowed to grow cannabis may involuntarily be subjected to intake from the plant while harvesting it.
If medical marijuana were to be allowed in future, the government has said it would crackdown on recreational use to prevent young people from getting involved and abusing marijuana as a “gateway drug”.