Cannabis Japonica: an exhibition tracing the links between ancient Japan and hemp

The Hash, Marijuana & Hemp Museum Barcelona presents its latest exhibition: Cannabis Japonica.

Open until February 26, 2023, this breathtaking collection offers a journey through Japan's cultural links with the Cannabis plant.

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Despite the current extremely strong crackdown on cannabis, the hemp is an integral part of Japanese culture.

«Cultivated hemp was the family's main source of fiber for weaving cloth and was also an important source of income, as the city's merchants bought the finest hemp fibers,» reads the museum's website.

«This hemp, with its silk-like qualities, was used to create the most precious garments, from summer kimonos to samurai weapons and the robes of Shinto priests. Every aspect of hemp-related work, from planting to weaving, was carried out by women. This practice continued during the Meiji era, when Japan rapidly became an industrialized empire.»

Admission to the exhibition, organized to commemorate the institution's tenth anniversary, is free.

What are the current cannabis policies in Japan?

Despite its age-old relationship with the plant, Japan currently has extremely restrictive cannabis policies.

On the Asian island, both recreational and medical cannabis remain illegal. Possession of cannabis carries a five-year prison sentence, while cultivation carries an even harsher seven years behind bars.

In addition, Japan's Ministry of Health recently set up an expert panel to review cannabis laws, apparently in response to the rising cannabis consumption rates among the Japanese population.

In particular, the group will look into the possibility of imposing a severe penalty for the simple act of consuming cannabis. If the proposal is approved and implemented, cannabis users could be imprisoned for traces of cannabinoids in their bodies.