A 37-year-old president of a company in Tottori Prefecture licensed to grow hemp has been arrested for possessing dried marijuana, sources at the health ministry said Monday.
It is the first time a licensed hemp manufacturer has been arrested for violating the Cannabis Control Law, the sources said.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's narcotics division in the Chugoku-Shikoku region arrested Toshihiko Ueno, who runs a company that grows industrial hemp and processes the fibers.
The ministry plans to ask the Tottori Prefectural Government, which granted the license, to review whether the licensing was appropriate.
Ueno was arrested Oct. 4 for possessing 88 grams of dried marijuana in his home.
According to the ministry, he had not grown the marijuana.
Ueno allegedly told the police he got the marijuana from someone else.