Japan reforms its cannabis control law

At the end of October, the Japanese government approved several amendments to its cannabis control law:

1. Cannabis for medical purposes: The’Epidiolex to be integrated into Japan's medical system and made available to children in need. Sativex and Marinol will probably not progress, as they contain THC, as the Japanese government is still very opposed to THC.

2. Change in the regulation of cannabinoids other than THC: Japan's regulation of cannabinoids will change from a «parts-based» regulation, which only allowed products/ingredients from the stem and seed, to an "ingredients-based" regulation. The conclusion is that CBD extracted from flower, leaf or resin can be legally imported into Japan, as long as the product contains no THC. Delta-8 / Delta-9 / HHC / THCV and similar products will remain illegal.

3. Use and crime: Currently, Japanese law stipulates that possession« and »cultivation« of cannabis are criminal offences. Use is not. With the new proposal, in theory, a urine test could prove »use« of cannabis. The practical application of this law, however, could differ from what the original text intends.

4. Promotion of hemp cultivation in Japan: The Japanese government is willing to set up a framework to promote hemp cultivation in Japan. The end products will most likely be seeds/fibers.

What impact will these amendments have?

While the CBD trade is widespread in Japan, restrictions around the total absence of THC severely constrain the market, which does not escape the synthetic neocannabinoids. With the latest decisions by the Japanese government, the market for CBD and natural cannabinoids is set to grow significantly. Major retailers, the media and ancillary industries will accept CBD-based products.

However, Japan will be much stricter with D8/D9/THC analogues and less so with CBD.

Hemp's comeback in Japan

If the Japanese government is taking action for the Japanese hemp industry, hemp growers didn't wait for it, as reported by The Japan News.

Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, particularly well known for growing hemp, In the last ten years, the number of hemp growers has dropped significantly, from a peak of 6,000 to just 12 today. Most of the remaining growers are between 60 and 70 years old.

Yoshinori Omori, a 44-year-old hemp grower from a family that has been cultivating hemp for several generations, expressed his concern about the potential disappearance of hemp growers in Japan to The Japon News. To solve this problem, Omori is striving to create new hemp-based products to attract the younger generation to the industry, with the aim of expanding the use of hemp in various applications such as paper, building materials and packaging.

Meanwhile, in Mie prefecture, the town of Meiwa has expressed interest in becoming a center for hemp cultivation. Although it has delivered hemp to the local Ise Jingu shrine in the past, the town no longer has any hemp growers. Meiwa City Council, Mie University and local farmers therefore collaborated on a hemp cultivation project, planting hemp on a 6,000-square-meter plot.

Shingo Matsumoto, an executive with the agricultural company Iseasa, led the project, emphasizing that hemp was a Japanese tradition.

Hitoshi Nitta, a professor at Kogakkan University, stressed the importance of the government's efforts to preserve the history of hemp in the country by disseminating accurate knowledge and eliminating the prejudices and misunderstandings surrounding hemp grown by licensees.