Photo/Illutration Police investigators enter the dorm used by members of Nihon University’s football team on Aug. 3. (Jin Nishioka)

Marijuana use is running rampant among Japanese university athletes as police are increasingly being summoned for raids of dorms. 

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on Aug. 3 searched the dorm used by members of Nihon University’s football team.

Police had been contacted by university officials who were told that some football team members were using cannabis.

The latest raid comes after two members of Tokyo University of Agriculture’s acclaimed boxing team were arrested in July on suspicion of possessing pot with the intention of selling it.

In the past, rugby players were among the most prevalent in terms of arrests for marijuana possession. 

Tokyo University of Agriculture’s boxing team has been crowned champions in the All-Japan tournament eight times.

But on July 12, a 19-year-old boxer from Yamanashi Prefecture was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana. Eight days earlier, the boxer and an acquaintance were found with about eight grams of dried cannabis in a car parked on the streets of Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward.

The boxer was re-arrested on Aug. 1 for possessing about 60 grams near the university dorm on July 5.

A 19-year-old teammate on the boxing team from Niigata Prefecture was arrested on July 24 on suspicion of possession. The dried cannabis was individually wrapped in small bags.

According to investigative sources, police searched the dorm in early July after the incident involving the boxer from Yamanashi came to light. Police found a large amount of cannabis believed to be in liquid and resin form. Further analysis is being conducted to identify the contents.

Because of the large amount seized, police believe the intent was to sell the marijuana.

Nihon University officials are questioning all members of the football team, including those who have since left the squad, as well as the coaching staff.

In addition to the two boxing team members, police also announced in July that they had arrested a former member of Kyoto Seisho High School’s rugby team on suspicion of possession.

In 2020, there were a rash of cannabis-related arrests among members of Nihon University’s rugby team, Kindai University’s soccer team and Tokai University’s baseball team.

Rugby seems to have a long tradition of involvement in cannabis use.
In 2007, members of Kanto Gakuin University’s team were found to be growing cannabis at the training center.

In 2019, a member of the Toyota Motor Corp. team that then belonged to the Japan Rugby Top League was indicted for cannabis possession.

As a result, the Japan Rugby Football Union set up an integrity promotion section to be more vigilant when bringing in athletes from overseas and to deal with the spread of drug use among younger players.

The union now requires all coaches of registered teams to enroll in lectures about drug problems. About 3,000 members of the top 30 university teams also are required to take anti-doping study sessions.

With the arrest of the former high school rugby player, the union is considering even recommending further action.

70 PERCENT OF ARRESTS INVOLVE THOSE UNDER 30 

According to the National Police Agency, a total of 5,342 individuals were arrested and had papers sent to prosecutors in cannabis cases last year. Of that number, 3,765, or about 70 percent, were under 30. The figure for those under 30 doubled in five years.

“There is the mistaken belief that cannabis is safe to use and that Japan is behind the times compared to other nations,” said an investigative source with the Metropolitan Police Department.

More people may be using marijuana because it is cheaper than stimulant drugs and easier to obtain.

Government officials are also considering legal revisions to make cannabis use illegal. While possession is illegal, there are no legal provisions about the use of pot.

(This article was written by Shoko Mifune, Shuhei Nomura, Toru Nakakoji and Ryo Oyama.)

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