The Omnipresence and utter Absence of Marijuana in Japan

The youth of Japan is in love with the moronic subculture that was born around marijuana.  Some parts of Shibuya look to be populated exclusively by readers of High-Times magazine. There are Pot leaf air fresheners dangling from rearview mirrors, clothing stamped with Cannabis leaves, and a million south beach style souvenir shops with only the classiest of weed-related jokes on many varieties of lighters, stickers and T-shirts (both mesh and cotton!).  Many foreign Sumo have been arrested recently for possession, and it's a popular motif for pop-stars.  Many of the older people I've spoken to say that Marijuana is a huge problem in the universities, and that the Yakuza makes millions of dollars (adjusted) based just on weed sales.

Then I talked to some actual college students.  To say they weren't the gaggle of stoners and burn-outs you may've predicted is an understatement.  Many of them had not actually seen marijuana in person.  I would say that perhaps I was in the company of straight-laced kids, but statistics show that only 1.5% of Japanese people have actually smoked pot. (42% percent in the US.) More than just a lack of exposure, there also seemed to be a lack of understanding about the effects of marijuana. Some people thought it to be more addictive than cocaine, others have said that it poses no adverse health risks. Some have said they fear that it makes people crazy, while others said it's effects are highly hallucinogenic. No one seemed to be speaking from personal experience. It's like the only thing that younger people know comes from "Half Baked," and the only thing older folks know comes from "Reefer Madness."

It's an odd Duality that pot is both everywhere, and seemingly nowhere at the same time.