Attitudes toward marijuana are relaxing in many countries around the world. One exception is Japan, where it’s still treated as dangerously as any other drug. And woe to any celebrity or citizen who’s caught with it!
In this wide-ranging, co-host Sachiko Ishikawa and I look at the treatment of celebrities arrested for drug use and how public reaction is more negative than it is towards far more serious crimes. We also discuss a deadly silly anti-marijuana tract from Wakayama Prefecture, and the phenomenon of “social death” for the arrested – and their families.
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Subjects Covered
Arrests of Celebrities on Marijuana Possession (Start)
- Pierre Taki Arrest (2:05)
- Iseya Yusuke arrest (3:02)
If Marijuana Was Treated like Sexual Assault (4:05)
The Wakayama Anti-Marijuana Manga (6:05)
Alcohol vs. Marijuana (8:45)
“Social Death” Aspect of Crime in Japan (9:45)
Japanese Dramas Discussing Social Ostacism (11:00)
How Social Ostracism of the Family Connects to the Same Surname Issue (12:50)
Other Related Content
Japan’s Strong Zero a “Dangerous Drug”, Says Expert
A leading researcher in addiction joins a growing chorus of critics who say Japan’s popular alcoholic drink needs to be regulated like a drug.
Notable Quotes
“I keep saying it and I will say it every single time. If [Japan] treated rapists the same way they treat people who are in possession of marijuana, then things would be so much different. Like one you will protect because everyone’s like, ‘Oh, who knows what happened?!’, and the other they’ll be like, ‘He looked at the color green!'” – Sachiko
“It’s something that comes up a lot in Japanese fiction as well, this ostracism that people go through. When somebody is accused or convicted of a crime, the whole family basically takes the punishment.” – Jay
“Marijuana users endure a stigma for using a drug that I, as a regular drinker, will freely admit is less harmful than alcohol.”- Jay
