T: What a lot of people may not know is that Japan has a long tradition of cannabis farming. So for centuries, hemp has been grown for fiber and it was also used in clothing, ropes at Shinto shrines and fishing nets. Also, shichimi togarashi, which is a popular spice, also contains hemp seed. So there are cannabis farmers, although their number has been declining, and a loophole was created in the 1948 cannabis law to allow them to continue their work, because they may accidentally inhale the cannabis they grow.

S: Accidentally?

T: Yes, accidentally when they harvest it.

S: OK.

T: What I found interesting is that the Cannabis Control Law even extends to Japanese nationals living in or visiting countries where the possession or use of cannabis is legal.

S: So if a Japanese citizen say travels to Canada and partakes in a joint maybe at a Drake show, they could be prosecuted? Is there any real way to prosecute something like that? Do you know of any cases?

T: No, I haven't heard of any case where a Japanese national is arrested for their pot use in countries where it's legal. I haven't heard of Japanese authorities going after or randomly testing Japanese people about their cannabis use abroad, either.

S: When Canada legalized marijuana back in 2018, freelance writer and law expert Colin P.A. Jones wrote a piece for The Japan Times about that very topic titled, "Jail in Japan for cannabis in Canada? Possible but unlikely." He looked more broadly at Japanese citizens committing other crimes abroad, specifically focusing on the case of suspected wife-murder Kazuyoshi Miura. So in that case, Miura had reported that "thugs" had killed his wife in Los Angeles. And when he was back in Japan, police received new evidence that he may have been involved in procuring those thugs. I don't want to take the podcast off track with this, but he ends up behind bars and is then acquitted and starts suing the media for presenting him as quote unquote, "guilty," specifically mentioning that he was shown in handcuffs on TV. So apparently, because of him, handcuffs on Japanese television are now blurred.

 

hemp　n)アサ･大麻

tradition　n)伝統･慣習･しきたり

fiber   n)繊維･食物繊維

decline　v)下方に傾斜する･減少する

loophole   n)抜け穴

inhale　v)吸い込む

harvest　/'hɑːvɪst/　/'hɑːrvɪst/　n)収穫　v)収穫する

extend　v)引き伸ばす･拡張する･拡大展開する

national   adj)国の･国民の　n)国民

possession　/pə'zəʃn/　n)所有、入手、不法所持

partake   v)参加する

Drake　カナダ出身のラッパー

prosecute　/'prɒsɪkjuːt/　/'prɑːsɪkjuːt/　v)推し進める

pot　n)容器、植木鉢、ポット、マリファナ

go after  追いかける

randomly test　selecting people for a test arbitrarily

arbitrarily　/,ɑːbɪ'trerəli/   /,ɑːrbɪ'trerəli/　adv)任意に･勝手気ままに

randomly　/'rændəmli/   adv)不定期に･ランダムに

either   /'aɪðər/　/'iːðər/　[否定文]どちらの～でもない

piece n)一片･かけら、部品

very　adv)典型的な･いかにも

unlikely　adj)可能性が低い、思いもよらない、似合わない

broadly　adv)広く･大まかに･概して　　

commit   /kə'mɪt/　verb   時間･金などを注ぎ込む

★ commit something to spend money or time on something/somebody

specifically　adv)特に･とりわけ

thug   n)凶悪犯･殺し屋

be involved in   ～に関与している

procure   v)手に入れる･入手する、斡旋する

behind bars　鉄格子の中で･獄中で

be acquitted   罪を問われない

acquit   v)無罪とする

sue   v)訴える

present　v)問題などを引き起こす

quote　v)引用する、証拠として示す

quote unquote   いわゆる 

guilty　adj)有罪の、罪意識のある

handcuff　n)手錠　v)手錠をかける

in handcuff   手錠をかけられて

apparently　adv)見たところ

blurred　adj)はっきりしない･かすんでいる