Photo/Illutration The Asahi Shimbun

Rising marijuana use among young people pushed the number of cannabis-related criminal cases to a record high last year, outnumbering those involving stimulants for the first time, the National Police Agency said.

According to NPA statistics released on March 21, 6,482 people were arrested or referred to prosecutors over suspected cannabis abuse in 2023.

The figure topped the 5,914 cases for stimulant drugs for the first time since 1958, when record-keeping began.

Stimulants had long dominated drug use in postwar Japan, peaking at 55,000 annual cases in the 1950s, followed by another surge in the 1980s that reached 24,000 annual arrests and referrals.

After a third stimulant wave in 1997 led to 19,722 criminal cases, the number declined.

In contrast, cannabis-related offenses have increased 3.7 times in the past 10 years.

By age group, people in their 20s accounted for the largest share, 54.7 percent, last year, followed by those under 20 at 18.9 percent and those in their 30s at 15 percent.

Nearly 90 percent of suspects under 20 and nearly 80 percent of those in their 20s were first-time offenders, the NPA statistics showed.

According to a survey of 1,060 people nabbed between October and November, 60 percent of them said they used cannabis for the first time because of “curiosity.”

Among those in their 20s or younger, the second most common reason was “peer pressure.”

Over 70 percent of respondents believed cannabis is harmless or mildly dangerous, a stark contrast to the 10 percent who felt the same about stimulants, the survey showed.

More than 40 percent of those in their 20s or younger found cannabis dealers online, with X (formerly Twitter) being the most commonly used platform.

The NPA believes widespread smartphone use has exposed young people to misinformation, leading them to believe marijuana is risk-free or legal in Japan.

Authorities are also seeing a rise in cases involving synthetic cannabinoids and other substances circulating in a legal gray area despite their potential harmful effects.

Last year, the number of people caught with such under-regulated drugs jumped by 52 percent to 424, marking the second consecutive year of increase.

Of those, 395 were users, rather than dealers or manufacturers. People in their 20s accounted for 52.4 percent of the suspects, and those under 20 made up 9.4 percent.

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