Authentic Medicine or Recreational Drugs?

Cannabis sativa L.is a plant which has been utilized for various purposes since ancient times. In the twentieth century however, this convenient plant has abruptly come to be an illegal substance in many countries because of its neurotrophic characteristics.<br> Recently, the international situation has been dramatically changing. Research results of the WHO show lower risk of cannabis use in human health than previously believed. Now an increasing number of governments have been pushing for the deregulation of both medical and private cannabis use.<br> This global wave finally made Japanese government to begin to deliberate on part legalization of cannabis in 2021. But the conventional Japanese policy on cannabis, which is referred as the ‘no-tolerance policy’, has still many problems. The relative ministries in Japan have been publishing inaccurate information of cannabis which lacks in objectivity.<br> The purpose of this study is to investigate the actual situation among Japanese cannabis users. In Chapter 1, the basic information on cannabis is introduced. In Chapter 2, the interview survey conducted by the author which targeted 18 cannabis users on the streets is explained and analyzed. In Chapter 3, the concept of a drug itself is examined with reference to existing studies in sociology and anthropology. Furthermore, representation of ‘drug’ as politically constructed by bio-power(M・Foucault)and the common category shown as cannabis for ‘the medical / the pleasure’ are inspected. It is hoped that this paper will be a beneficial material for future debates on Japanese policies on cannabis use.