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Marijuana is embraced and enforced in very different ways across the globe, and that was exemplified in the news this week coming from Japan and Canada.
Japan, for instance, has gotten even harsher with its enforcement of the plant. Marijuana has been banned for a long time in the country, but as the government becomes more and more concerned about youth drug abuse, they have decided to designate marijuana as a narcotic. This now results in drastic punishment if caught smoking weed, including up to a 7 year prison sentence.
At the same time, they are legalizing “medical products using substances derived from cannabis that have been proven effective and safe,” according to Kyodo News. So I guess Japan is just as confused as the rest of us.
Then, up in Canada, the legal marijuana market is prospering. It’s so popular that the illicit market is almost nonexistent. In a survey done by Health Canada just 3% of respondents said they got their marijuana from illegal sources. That’s down from 16% in 2017. Of course, when it comes to surveys, there is incentive to lie about doing something illegal, so the numbers may be a little skewed here. However, the jump from 16% to 3% is certainly significant.
Due to high cost in the US, the legal state markets are having a difficult time competing with the illegal industry that doesn’t have to mark up their prices for taxes.
Marijuana continues its bizarre journey across the globe as we humans can’t decide whether we think this plant is a gift from the gods or the devil.
