A 22-year-old man twice convicted of using stimulants became a trainee at a rehabilitation facility in western Japan this spring, after a court took the rare step of sparing him imprisonment for using drugs while serving a suspended sentence for a separate drug charge.
His lawyer is calling for other courts to follow suit, saying addiction is a disease and can be cured more effectively through therapy and rehabilitation in society rather than in prison.
"I had a hard time communicating with people. But I was able to talk with others when I used (drugs). I was able to be myself," the man, who asked to be identified only as Yusuke, his first name, said in an interview at the Garden rehab facility in Yamatotakada, Nara Prefecture, in late March.