I do think it’s bizarre we live in a society where smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol is “normal” yet weed is somehow a taboo subject.
It’s especially funny since Japanese policy on weed was basically forced on Japan (and the rest of the world) by the United States with racially motivated trade policies that conveniently helped the alcohol business thrive in a post prohibition world.
I don’t think marijuana was ever popular in Japan, though, even before WWII, so banning it was likely seen as a nothingburger. Opium was the widespread drug in that part of the world (and even that wasn’t native to Japan), and you do occasionally see opium use in historical anime, although it isn’t treated in a positive light.
I don’t see weed as taboo, maybe it’s different where you are from. It seems way more popular than tobacco these days. Of course alcohol is still the most accepted drug around.
I do think it’s bizarre we live in a society where smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol is “normal” yet weed is somehow a taboo subject.
It’s especially funny since Japanese policy on weed was basically forced on Japan (and the rest of the world) by the United States with racially motivated trade policies that conveniently helped the alcohol business thrive in a post prohibition world.
I don’t think marijuana was ever popular in Japan, though, even before WWII, so banning it was likely seen as a nothingburger. Opium was the widespread drug in that part of the world (and even that wasn’t native to Japan), and you do occasionally see opium use in historical anime, although it isn’t treated in a positive light.
I don’t see weed as taboo, maybe it’s different where you are from. It seems way more popular than tobacco these days. Of course alcohol is still the most accepted drug around.