4 ms·
Drugs are highly illegal in Japan, yet there is no major drug crisis -- which seems to indicate that it's a cultural problem, and not related to enforcement and
by newfriend 7y ago
Drugs are highly illegal in Japan, yet there is no major drug crisis -- which seems to indicate that it's a cultural problem, and not related to enforcement and illegality. It could even be argued that extremely harsh punishments for drug related crimes could act as a deterrent.
- Nursie 7y ago> Drugs are highly illegal in Japan, yet there is no major drug crisis Arguably Japan is rife with benzodiazepine abuse, several varieties of which can just be bought and consumed freely there.
- soulofmischief 7y agoThe popular illegal drugs may be, but it's common to see physical vendors peddling research chemicals which aren't scheduled in Japan.
- newsgremlin 7y agoI don't know if there has ever been a major drug crisis, Japan has a long history of using cannabis for hemp based products but the use of it recreationaly wasn't really a concern domestically. Though the figures around drug use and overdose might be under-reported, even Japanese doctors will report drug use to the police thus deterring people from being honest. The pressure to ban cannabis outright came from US influences when Japanese legislation was passed in 1948, meth infact is actually the most used illicit drug today.
- socialdemocrat 7y agoYes culture is a major part of it, which is why you need to compare similar countries. Among western countries those with more liberal drug laws tend to have less problems. Compare e.g. the Netherlands, Switzerland and Portugal with the US. In my native Norway, punishment for almost anything is quite mild including drug related crime. Yet drug usage is much lower than in the US. We are all more similar to the US than Japan, being all derived from European culture.