On Saturday, Noriyasu Kitabatake, a third-year student at Nihon University in Tokyo, was arrested for the alleged possession of marijuana and an illegal stimulant drug. Reports say the substances were found at the university’s dorm room for members of the American football club, to which he belongs.
The high-profile incident follows the arrest on Thursday of three male members of the rugby team at Asahi University in Gifu Prefecture, who allegedly sold marijuana for profit online, and another case at the Tokyo University of Agriculture’s boxing club in July, two members of which were arrested on suspicion of possessing dried marijuana with an intent to sell it.
Even as some countries have moved to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, Japan has maintained a zero-tolerance policy on the substance, prohibiting its possession or sale. But the legality of other cannabis products on the market, including ones sold as CBD, is murkier. The government is also eyeing the legalization of medical products made from marijuana.