Abstract
This paper organizes the cannabis liberation movement in contemporary Japan, focusing on
developments from the 1990s on. Cannabis is being legalized in the United States and Europe, where
this topic is regarded as a political conflict between the liberal and conservative factions and frequently
made an issue in the same way as gay marriage and gun control. The cannabis legalization movement
is endorsed by liberal supporters and has had pragmatic effects on regulation changes, which differs
greatly from the situation in Japan.
The cannabis liberation movement in Japan started with the beatniks and hippies of the 1960s,
and a network has been created and issue framed in multiple ways from 1990s until today. This
movement cannot be reduced to a single organization, but is a group composed of individuals with
diverse intentions and concerns. There is not sufficient knowledge of these trends in the world of
sociology. To that end, this paper attempts to first comprehend the associations in this movement
formed by groups and individuals, rather than interpret a single event or organization.
The current cannabis liberation movement has multiple goals such as total legalization, medical
use, and industrial use. At the same time, examining the discourse indicates that it is dispersed,
ranging from that dependent on academic research to spiritualism, nationalism, and conspiracy
theories. This background includes developments in the spirituality, new age, and reggae subcultures
and the cannabis legalization movement has progressed while crossing into the music and culture
of these groups. This paper first provides a general view of the history to organize situation in Japan
from the 1990s, considering the actions and claims of various groups and discussing the ways each has
resisted social circumstances.
