In Japan, possession of marijuana is illegal, but clothing made from marijuana plants is legal. What kind of standards are there and where is the borderline? I did a detailed investigation!
Contents
Cannabis-based clothing is legal in Japan
In Japan, it is legal to use, sell, and manufacture clothing made from marijuana.
Linen and ramie, which are often heard of as luxury materials, are a type of cannabis plant. It is a traditional material that has been incorporated into the lives of Japanese people for centuries.
It can also be said that most of the clothes made of cannabis plants in the Japanese market are manufactured from these two types.
Currently, linen and ramie are required to be labeled as “hemp” under the “Household Use Daily Quality Labeling” enacted in 1962. Other cannabis-derived materials cannot be labeled as “hemp” because they are “undesignated fibers.
What is the borderline between legal and illegal cannabis-derived products?
There are two major borderlines for cannabis-derived products available in Japan.
The main borderline for cannabis-derived products available in Japan seems to be “variety” and “part”.
In Japan, the term “cannabis plant” refers to similar plants in a very broad sense.
| Type | Features | Purpose |
| Linen, ramie | Rich in fiber. Mainly used for mature stems and other parts that have no physiological effect. | Used for clothing, bags, etc. |
| Hemp | Improved variety for industrial use with minimal THC content. | Improved variety for industrial use with minimal THC content. |
| Marijuana | High THC content, recognized as an illegal drug | Used for illegal trade and aspiration by sale. |
Thus, in Japan, all the legal industrial varieties and illegal varieties are lumped together and called cannabis plants.
Also, if you look at linen and ramie, the products made from the stem fibers are considered legal.
CBD, which led to the expansion of the hemp market, is also imported in Japan in limited quantities, extracted from the stems and seeds. The leaves and flowers are illegal to use in Japan because they contain high levels of THC.
In other words, it seems that products made from the seeds and stems of certain industrial species are legal in Japan.
In Japan, many people seem to have the perception that marijuana plant itself is illegal due to the image of marijuana and the laws established during World War II.
However, in reality, depending on the purpose of use and the variety, many of them are legal and may be used closer to home than you might think.
What are the uses of marijuana plants that are legal in Japan?
Not surprisingly, cannabis plants are familiar to modern Japanese people.
In fact, some of the things we see without even knowing it are made from hemp, such as clothes made from hemp, Shimenawa ropes displayed at shrines, and the Mawashi (wrapping cloth) of Yokozuna, the top sumo wrestler.
Cannabis seeds are also used to make shichimi pepper.
Marijuana is said to be a plant that has supported the Japanese people’s food, clothing, and housing for a long time, and it continues to be used in our lives.
Summary
This time I told you about the illegality of clothes made of marijuana grass, how was it? It turns out that even in Japan, cannabis plants that have passed a certain standard are legally used in our lives.
Please refer to this article for more information.
