Tokyo (AFP) – With its zero-tolerance cannabis laws, deep social stigma against the drug and moves to tighten rules on consumption, Japan is no stoner’s paradise.
But you wouldn’t guess it watching Ai Takahashi and her friends twerking, body-rolling and lighting up to the weed anthem “Young, Wild & Free” at a tiny, packed club in Tokyo.
What they’re smoking isn’t illegal marijuana, but a joint containing cannabidiol (CBD) — a non-intoxicating component of cannabis that has become trendy worldwide and is fast catching on in Japan.
“When I was a child, I was taught at school and everywhere else that marijuana is an absolute no-no, and that’s what I believed too,” Takahashi told AFP.
“But being a huge reggae fan, I had a chance to smoke it when I travelled to places where it’s legal.”
The 33-year-old dancer later became interested in CBD, which is legal in Japan if extracted from the plant’s seeds or fully-grown stems, but not other parts like the leaves.
It is sold in vapes, drinks and sweets at specialist cafes, health stores, and even a shop in Tokyo’s main airport.
When Takahashi encouraged her mother, who was struggling with depression, to try CBD, it made a big difference, she said.
