The Japanese government announced on May 30 that it would officially begin accepting public comments about its cannabis reform bill. One of the proposed measures would potentially loosen restrictions for the use of processing CBD in food products.

In February, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) published a proposal hinting changes to the amount of THC allowed in some products. “In order to prevent the occurrence of health and hygiene hazards, a maximum residue limit for THC remaining in trace amounts in cannabis grass-derived products shall be established,” MHLW said.

AstraSana Holding AG managing director Yves Antoniazzi told Business of Cannabis that the company is in a beneficial position to help the CBD market expand in Japan. “We have been waiting a long time for this,” Antoniazzi said. “It is a huge milestone for the global cannabis industry. Japan is the first country to approve CBD in food, paving the way for corporate companies to list CBD products in retail chains.”

The public comment period will begin now and last through mid to late June.

The Japanese Ministry of Health began discussing medical cannabis legalization back in May 2022. In October 2023, the Japanese government amended its decades-old Cannabis Control Law. Later in November 2023, Japan’s lower House also passed the bill to move it forward, followed by the House of Councilors passing a revision to the law in December 2023. The revision included lifting a ban on cannabis-based pharmaceutical products and also reclassified cannabis under the country’s Narcotics Control Law.

However, it also introduced revised laws regarding illegal use and stated that someone in violation of the law could serve up to seven years in prison. Prior to the reformed law, Japan only punished violations for import, export, cultivating, and possession.

A recent report published by Euromonitor in April projects that Japan is poised to experience rapid growth between now and 2028. “Euromonitor International’s latest research in 2023 reveals a staggering growth in the Japan’s cannabis market over the past four years, expanding approximately sixfold from JPY $4 billion (USD $26.3 million) in 2019 to JPY24 billion (USD $173.8 million) in 2023,” the report stated. “This surge is attributed to the rising demand for products offering relaxation, sleep improvement, and stress relief.”

The report explained that previously, Japan hasn’t been a target for cannabis market growth “due to legal uncertainty.” However after the Cannabis Control Law was amended in 2023, it opened up many unique opportunities. “This amendment is expected to significantly change the potential and accelerate the use of cannabidiol (CBD) in diverse fields, including medicine, health, beauty, beverages and edibles in Japan,” the authors wrote. Euromonitor estimated that 0.12% of Japanese people consume cannabis illegally at least once per year, which has led to an increase in both illegal cultivation and processing.

According to Kyodo News in March, 6,482 people were being investigated for involvement in cannabis-related criminal cases in 2023. Numbers from 2022 showed that 5,702 people were involved in the same activity. The National Police Agency noted that this most recent data shows that the number of cannabis-related cases has now surpassed the number of cases involving stimulant drugs for the first time since 1958.

A majority of this illegal activity is centered around an increase in youth involvement, with 3,545 in their 20s and 1,222 younger than 20. Data from 2019 showed that only 609 people under 20 were involved in cannabis-related convictions. The National Police Agency cited the “widespread use of smartphones” and spread of misinformation about cannabis has been the main reason why consumption has increased.

Since 2013, the Osaka Prefectural Police has worked with gaming company Capcom to implement crime prevention awareness in an attempt to decrease youth crime rates. In December 2021, the agency partnered with Capcom to utilize characters and imagery from The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles to help deter youth cannabis consumption. “Capcom hopes to support crime prevention activities in Osaka and all of Japan through this program, which will see the production of 6,000 original posters, as well as 4,000 original flyers that will be included with individually wrapped face masks,” Capcom said in a press release. 

Japan has had a rich history in hemp cultivation, with the production of CBD with little to no THC being utilized in Shinto religious practices since 2016.

In June 2022, The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum of Barcelona in Spain debuted a special Japanese-themed exhibit entitled “Cannabis Japonica” which was defined as a “fashionable journey through Japan’s cultural ties with the cannabis plant.” The exhibit shared children’s stories about ninjas jumping over hemp plants, which can often grow to be anywhere from nine to 13 feet tall. “This children’s story is a testament to a time when cannabis was ‘big in Japan’. As spring approached, each rural household would plant four to five furrows of hemp seeds. The cultivated hemp was the family’s main source of fibre, used to weave cloth,” the exhibit explained. It also featured unique 120-year-old haiku poetry about hemp, as well as clothing samples and various artifacts.

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Looking back to early 2023, Thailand’s climate surrounding cannabis looked incredibly different than conversations surrounding the plant today. The country made major waves after becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to allow medical cannabis use in 2018, and it received global attention after decriminalizing recreational cannabis in 2022.

Though, the events that followed — including an influx of tourists openly using cannabis in public, the opening of plentiful cannabis cafes and reportedly thousands of pot shops over a handful of months with minimal quality control — quickly had leaders backtracking the historic move. 

Now, nearly two months after Thailand lawmakers made the historic move, the country’s current Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced that the country will move to re-list cannabis as a narcotic by the end of the year, Associated Press reports.

Thailand Presses on to Reverse Cannabis Reform Progress

The change in attitude surrounding cannabis is nothing new, as lawmakers recently approved legislation aimed to walk back cannabis reform and ban the use of recreational cannabis. The proposal clarifies that only the use of medical cannabis is allowed, while recreational cannabis is prohibited.

“Without the law to regulate cannabis it will be misused,” Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said in March, referring to recreational use. At the time, he added that approximately 20,000 cannabis shops had legally registered with the government. The new law would force any unregistered shops, which became far more abundant following Thailand’s decriminalization move, to close. 

Rather, the new comments provide more insight on Srettha’s time table and future plans for recreational cannabis in Thailand.

Earlier this week, the prime minister clarified on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, “I want the health ministry to amend the rules and re-list cannabis as a narcotic,” adding that the ministry should “quickly issue” a rule to limit cannabis usage to medical only.

Thailand Prime Minister’s Broader Crackdown on Drug Use

The comments followed a meeting with the prime minister and agencies associated with narcotics suppression, prompting Srettha to take a hard stance on illicit drugs and order authorities to deliver results and “clear progress” in the next 90 days.

“Drugs is a problem that destroys the future of the country, many young people are addicted. We have to work fast, to confiscate assets (of drug dealers) and expand treatment,” he said.

Initially, the decriminalization move was only meant for medicinal use, though it led to an unregulated market that steadily prompted public backlash and concern over cannabis misuse and potential crime.

Additionally, Srettha asked authorities to be more specific about what constitutes drug possession under the law, from “small amount” to “one pill” in an effort to enforce tougher drug penalties.

While Srettha requested that cannabis be re-listed as a narcotic by the end of the year, it’s still not clear when this will happen and what the process will look like.

Questions Surrounding Cannabis Re-Criminalization

Throughout this U-turn of sorts, numerous advocates and entrepreneurs have opposed the rollback and said that it will ultimately damage Thailand’s economy. According to Reuters, Thailand’s cannabis industry is projected to be worth up to $1.2 billion by 2025 given the thousands of new shops and uptick in tourism throughout the country since 2022.

While it is largely accepted that the country potentially embraced too much too quickly when it comes to cannabis, other Thailand authorities aren’t as optimistic about the policy reversal. 

Prasitchai Nunual, secretary-general of Thailand’s Cannabis Future Network, argued that moving to recriminalize would hurt the economy, small businesses, and consumers. 

“Many people have been growing cannabis and opening cannabis shops. These will have to close down,” he told Reuters. “If scientific results show that cannabis is worse than alcohol and cigarettes then they can re-list it as a narcotic. If cannabis is less harmful, they should list cigarettes and alcohol as narcotics too.”

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Biologists from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany and Universitas Nasional, Indonesia observed a large male orangutan self-medicating—using a paste of chewed up plants topically to heal a large wound on his cheek. It’s essentially a wild animal that appears to intentionally make his own medicinal salve.

A peer-reviewed study was published Thursday in Scientific Reports, demonstrating the first time scientists have observed this specific behavior from an orangutan. The biologists first saw the behavior in 2022 when the orangutan was badly wounded. Rakus is an orangutan that lives in Gunung Leuser National Park in Sumatra, and when he was wounded on his cheek with a gaping hole, he sprung into action, behaving in a way scientists have never seen before in a non-human.

Lead researcher Dr. Isabelle Laumer, a primatologist and behavioral biologist confirmed the findings to High Times. “We observed a male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) who sustained a facial wound,” researchers wrote. “Three days after the injury he selectively ripped off leaves of a liana with the common name Akar Kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria), chewed on them, and then repeatedly applied the resulting juice onto the facial wound. As a last step, he fully covered the wound with the chewed leaves.”  Watch the orangutan here the first time he was observed behaving this way. (Laumer et al., 2024 Scientific Reports)

The researchers saw no indications of infection and the wound closed within five days. After a month, Rakus’s wound was fully healed.

Fibraurea tinctoria is a plant that demonstrates anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, and it can be used locally to treat malaria and diabetes. Humans have been using medicinal salves for thousands of years, but this behavior is rarely seen in wild animals. 

“The treatment of human wounds was most likely first mentioned in a medical manuscript that dates back to 2200 BC, which included the cleaning, plastering, and bandaging of wounds with certain wound care substances,” Dr Caroline Schuppli, a senior author of the paper, told the Natural History Museum. “As African and Asian great apes have also been seen actively treating wounds, it is possible we share a common underlying mechanism for recognising and applying medical substances to wounds. This might have developed in a common ancestor, which may have already showed similar forms of ointment behaviour.” (Laumer et al., 2024 Scientific Reports)

CBS News reports that gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos swallow certain bitter-tasting leaves whole to get rid of stomach parasites. The rough texture of the leaves can scrape out their digestive systems. The apes appear to only eat those types of bitter leaves when they need help with their digestive tracts.

Researchers said we can learn about ourselves based on these findings. “They are our closest relatives and this again points towards the similarities we share with them. We are more similar than we are different,” biologist Dr Isabella Laumer at the Max Planck institute in Germany told BBC News.

Orangutan Intelligence

Orangutans demonstrate remarkable intelligence, and some researchers believe it may surpass the intelligence of chimps. Psychologist Robert Deaner of Grand Valley State University in Michigan, for instance, scoured hundreds of cognition studies and created “The Hierarchy of Primate Intelligence.” According to Deaner’s hierarchy, orangutans are smarter than chimpanzees, and they are the smartest primates after humans, and spider monkeys are the fourth smartest primates after orangutans and chimps, with gorillas being the fifth smartest.

Orangutans can perform several tasks that most apes cannot do. Researchers in Leipzig Zoo in Germany observed “calculated reciprocity”—meaning they “weigh the costs and benefits of gift exchanges.” They have also been observed creating a distraction in order to steal food from one another, essentially showing them pick-pocketing. They’ve also been seen using leaves to amplify calls, holding them to their mouth when they squeak, enabling them to deceive one another to sound like a larger ape. Scientists argue that these behaviors make them one of the most self-aware wild animals that have ever been observed.

Orangutans can learn up to 40 hand signs to communicate in sign language, and can do the same with their feet.

Medicinal Plants Used by Animals

The Natural History Museum reports that the use of medicinal plants by animals—known as zoopharmacognosy—is believed to be used by a variety of different species to treat their illnesses and injuries to some degree. But in most cases, it’s unclear if it’s prompted by instinct rather than learned behavior. 

Blue-headed parrots, for instance, frequently lick clay which helps them absorb the toxins from unripe fruits they’ve eaten. Galápagos finches have been observed rubbing the leaves of the Galápagos guava tree on their feathers. These are rich in chemicals that repel mosquitoes and fly larvae.

Wild animals have been seen eating cannabis, but it’s unclear why they are attracted to it. In the wild, mice and rats eat germinated hemp seeds, while moles, rabbits, foxes, deer, and dogs have been seen eating hemp leaves and stalks. And this doesn’t include insect pests that regularly chow down on cannabis leaves.

Even insects eat different foods that have medicinal properties. Cordyceps and fungal infections are a nightmare (and the inspiration for The Last of Us video game and series) but ants have been observed eating normally unwanted foods that ward off fungal infections. 

The new findings about orangutan behavior demonstrate how little we know about ape intelligence.

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The nascent cannabis market in Japan has reportedly seen a massive increase in recent years. 

That is according to a newly published report by Euromonitor International, which revealed a “staggering growth in Japan’s cannabis market over the past four years.”

The market, according to the report, expanded “approximately sixfold from JPY4 billion (USD26.3 million) in 2019 to JPY24 billion (USD173.8 million) in 2023,” a surge that was “attributed to the rising demand for products offering relaxation, sleep improvement, and stress relief.”

Euromonitor International, a market research firm based in the United Kingdom, said that initial “investment and entry into the cannabis market by major Japanese companies has not been aggressive due to legal uncertainty until now, along with the negative image surrounding its use.”

That changed, the company said, in 2024, when Japan amended its “Cannabis Control Law” for the first time in more than 70 years. 

“This amendment is expected to significantly change the potential and accelerate the use of cannabidiol (CBD) in diverse fields, including medicine, health, beauty, beverages and edibles in Japan,” the company explained.

“While Euromonitor International estimates that 0.12% of the Japanese population are consumers who use illicit cannabis at least once a year, which shows a low figure compared to Western countries, Japan witnessed a surge in illegal cultivation and smuggling operations, particularly among younger generations. Despite the long-standing legal framework, the domestic illicit cannabis market in 2023 was estimated to be 2.5 times larger than the legal CBD market.”

The revision to the country’s cannabis law came in December, when Japan’s House of Councillors moved to essentially end the prohibition on medicine derived from cannabis. The amendment also ushered in new penalties for cannabis use. 

The punishment for illicit cannabis is severe, carrying a prison sentence of up to seven years.

That didn’t sit well with some Japanese lawmakers.

“What previously had no penalties will now be harshly punished, with a maximum of seven years in prison. I opposed the bill because there is a serious problem here,” Rep. Taro Yamamoto said at the time.

The change to the country’s cannabis law also allows for the cultivation of hemp, a bid to reduce Japan’s imports of the products.

According to Euromonitor International, the “momentum for regulatory change in Japan gained traction due to the relaxation of cannabis regulations in other countries, prompting the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to establish an expert panel to review the Cannabis Control Law in 2021.” 

“The amendments are mainly twofold: strengthening regulations, and lifting the ban on the use of cannabis-derived medical products,” the company explained. “First, unlike CBD, which is a legal ingredient that can be imported and sold if it is produced overseas, THC, one of the main components of cannabis, will continue to be regulated as a narcotic. In addition to authorised cultivation, the sale and possession of cannabis, which have been punishable up until now, will incur stiffer penalties. Conversely, the government’s decision to permit the practical use of Epidiolex, a CBD-based antiepileptic medication, signals a significant shift in policy. Additionally, hemp cultivation, previously restricted to fiber and seed collection or specific purposes, is now authorized for medical use.”

Euromonitor International said that Japan’s “CBD market has been growing rapidly recently, but is still in its early stages.”

“CBD products remain relatively unknown to most consumers, with limited understanding and adoption,” the report said. “Concerns over product safety and regulatory compliance persist, highlighted by incidents such as illnesses linked to CBD-infused gummies containing HHCH which are reported widely in the nation in 2023, prompting tighter regulations. The revision of the Cannabis Control Law is expected to usher in clearer guidelines for CBD product sales and distribution, attracting major companies from various sectors to enter the market by 2024. Despite challenges in ensuring quality, complying with regulations, and educating consumers, CBD sales are projected to outpace the illicit cannabis market by 2026, driven by increasing health and wellness awareness among consumers seeking alternatives to traditional products like cigarettes and alcohol.”

The company said that it is a crucial time for Japan’s burgeoning cannabis market.

“The year 2023 marked a pivotal moment for cannabis in Japan, signaling a potential turning point for the country’s CBD market. Recent legal reforms have opened doors for further CBD establishment and development, with the sector gaining attention as a high-growth industry. The increasing utilization of CBD across various sectors, including health, beauty, beverages, and edibles, is expected to reshape societal perceptions of CBD and cannabis. Nonetheless, lingering concerns persist among Japanese consumers, fueled by reports of health issues linked to CBD products. Key to the market’s success will be companies’ ability to educate consumers about the benefits of CBD products, emphasizing compliance, quality control, and scientific evidence,” the report said.

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Thailand will ban the recreational use of cannabis by the end of 2024, the country’s health minister told Reuters last week. The Southeast Asian nation legalized recreational cannabis for adults in 2022, but the country is now walking back legalization following a change in government leadership.

Thailand has been a leader in cannabis policy reform since it became the first Southeast Asian nation to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana in 2018. At the time, Thai leaders said that they hoped legalizing cannabis would provide new opportunities for the country’s agricultural sector.

To prepare for the change in laws, the nation’s health and agriculture ministries worked together to distribute one million cannabis plants for people to grow at home.

That groundbreaking move was followed by the de facto legalization of recreational marijuana four years later when the country removed cannabis from its list of banned substances. The legislation allowed businesses to sell foods and drinks infused with cannabis, provided they contained no more than 0.2% THC. More potent cannabis products were authorized for medical use only.

Because of weak regulations and a lack of enforcement, however, this legalization of weed in Thailand led to the opening of tens of thousands of cannabis shops, many of them geared toward marketing to tourists. The cannabis industry has already become an economic boon for the country and is expected to be worth up to $1.2 billion next year, according to economic projections.

Critics of Thailand’s legalization of recreational cannabis said that the reform was rushed, with regulations adopted within weeks of legalization. 

“There are no control measures other than word of mouth,” Mana Nimitmongkol, head of the Anti-Corruption Organization (Thailand), said in a June 2022 online post.

In August 2023, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin took office, vowing to revisit the legalization of cannabis to rein in widespread recreational sales of marijuana. A month later he declared a new war on drugs as part of his national agenda, which included provisions to scale back the nation’s cannabis policy.

“A consensus has been reached among the 11 coalition parties as well as all other parties in the opposition that the need to tackle the drugs problem is high on the agenda,” he said. “Let’s make today the start of a new fight to stamp out drug problems from society.”

Proposed Law Includes Ban On Recreational Weed

In January, the government issued draft legislation to regulate cannabis in Thailand and asked for public comment on the proposal. The proposal clarifies that only the medical use of cannabis is allowed and that recreational marijuana use is prohibited.

In an interview with Reuters last week, Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said that the proposed legislation would go to the cabinet for approval in March. The measure would then head to parliament, where approval of the legislation is expected sometime before the end of the year.

“Without the law to regulate cannabis it will be misused,” Cholnan said last week, referring to recreational use, according to a report from Reuters.

“The misuse of cannabis has a negative impact on Thai children,” he added. “In the long run it could lead to other drugs.”

Cholnan said that approximately 20,000 cannabis shops have legally registered with the government. Under the new legislation, unregistered shops will be forced to close. The proposal also discourages home cultivation of cannabis.

“In the new law, cannabis will be a controlled plant, so growing it would require permission,” he said. “We will support (cannabis cultivation) for the medical and health industry.”

The proposed legislation sest a fine of 60,000 baht ($1,700) for the recreational use of cannabis. Those selling cannabis for recreational use or marketing or advertising cannabis flower, extracts, or smoking paraphernalia face sentences of up to one year in jail, a fine of up to 100,000 baht ($2,800) or both. Driving while high on weed would be punishable with a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($560), or one year in jail.

The bill also tightens regulations on cultivating cannabis without a license, with those convicted of such offenses subject to jail terms of one to three years and fines from 20,000 baht ($560) to 300,000 baht ($8,000). Importing, exporting and commercial use of cannabis will require a permit under the legislation.

Because Thailand’s cannabis industry has already become an economic success for the country, the proposed legislation gives businesses time to comply with the new regulations. Cannabis shops that are currently registered with the government will be allowed to continue doing business until their licenses expire. Such businesses will also be permitted to convert to legal cannabis clinics if they comply with all relevant regulations.

Cholnan said that he did not expect the new regulations to impact Thailand’s tourism industry. 

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The recent passage of a medical cannabis bill in the Philippine House of Representatives has many organizations and agencies expressing their support or opposition for legalization.

On Feb. 6, the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) published a letter of opposition. The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) represents an estimated 98,202 physicians, which includes 121 societies, 8 specialty divisions, 96 specialty societies, and 50 affiliate societies. The letter includes a coalition of 21 medical organizations and associations in total.

“The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) Coalition recognizes that the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs recently reclassified cannabis (marijuana) from Schedule IV to Schedule I of the Dangerous Drugs List—a move that recognized the plant’s medicinal value,” the letter began. “However, the UN Commission also emphasizes that cannabis is still under restriction on its use for non-medical and non-scientific purposes. That being said, the PMA coalition therefore strongly opposes all legislative bills intending to legalize cannabis (marijuana) if it is not for medicinal value as approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration.”

The letter explains the harms of “unproven medical indications” in connection to cannabis consumption, with an example of how cannabis can negatively affect the brain of a developing fetus in a pregnant person. The letter also claimed that children are at “significant risk” when exposed to cannabis, citing Sec. 12 Article III of the Philippine Constitution, which protects “the life of the unborn from conception to birth” as well as the life of the mother.

The PMA referenced a statement from the Committee of European Doctors from November 2023, which claims that cannabis is “a hazardous and addictive drug and serious public health concern, and therefore discourages cannabis use.”

The PMA also listed 10 statements regarding its stance on cannabis, including a statement that it does support medical cannabis if it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and calls for more research overall. “We strongly support the conduct of local scientific studies on cannabis for medicinal purposes in legitimate research institutions under strict Institutional Review Board-approved research protocols to address the existing knowledge hap on cannabis efficacy and safety,” the PMA wrote. Another point claims that there is a “clear trend towards the harmful effects [of cannabis] that outweigh the purported benefits.” 

“To stand against the legalization of cannabis is to stand for a safer, bright future for all Filipino children. Let our position be clear and our voice unwavering; we must prioritize the well-being of our youth, ensuring they grow up in an environment free from the dangers posed by readily available marijuana,” the letter concluded.

According to Inquirer.net, a joint panel of the Philippine House of Representatives approved a medical cannabis bill on Feb. 7. While the bill wouldn’t remove cannabis from the country’s list of dangerous substances, it would require the creation of a Medical Cannabis Office, which would be the “primary regulatory body for medical cannabis under the direct supervision and control of the Department of Health.” Additionally, it would allow patients to use medical cannabis if they have specific qualifying conditions, and cannabis would only be obtainable through “licensed hospitals, clinics, drugstores, or other medical facilities” after being prescribed by an accredited physician.

FDA Director General Samuel Zacate spoke at a press briefing on Feb. 13, confirming that he supports medical cannabis legalization. “Filipinos must have a wide range of therapeutic indications or drugs of choice. So ako [sic] for the record […] is very much open for marijuana as long as it has been streamlined and does not pose harm to the public,” Zacate said, according to The Philippine Star, although he did say the decision is “subject to the wisdom of the legislative [branch].”

According to Republic Asia, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) released its own statement regarding medical and/or cannabis legalization on Feb. 14. “The DOH recognizes efforts to legalize medical cannabis use, which is distinct from recreational marijuana use. Any such initiatives should be based on the best available scientific evidence, weighed for cost-effectiveness and public health impact,” said the DOH. “Legislation should also consider the regulatory capacity of all government agencies that will be involved, should there be approval.”

The DOH confirmed that it does not support cannabis cultivation or the manufacturing of cannabis products. “The DOH reminds the general public that any use of marijuana at this point is still punishable by law, unless granted a compassionate special permit (CSP) signed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General that would allow its use and importation in the country,” the DOH continued.

Nearby in Thailand, which legalized recreational cannabis in 2022, legislators have drafted a bill to ban adult-use consumption. The country’s government welcomed public opinions in January, and are now on the cusp of pushing prohibition legislation onto parliament. The new draft would criminalize cannabis “for entertainment or pleasure” with a 60,000 baht fine (or roughly $1,700 USD). Medical cannabis would still be permitted, according to a report from Associated Press.

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An Israeli national has been reported dead at the Tokyo Airport as the result of an overdose after authorities said he tried to smuggle over a kilogram of cocaine and other stimulants in his stomach.

According to an article in the Mainichi, a national daily newspaper in Japan, authorities with the Metropolitan Police Department filed charges with public prosecutors Wednesday, accusing a suspect in his 50’s, who was not named in the article, of violating the Stimulants Control Act by swallowing multiple wraps of illegal stimulants and getting on a flight from France to Japan with the intent of bringing the drugs into the country for distribution and sale. 

The Mainichi said the deceased man collapsed inside the plane on January 2 as it arrived at the Tokyo Haneda Airport From France. He was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. 

The suspect reportedly had 89 individual packets or wraps of cocaine and other stimulants. Medical staff told the Mainichi that none of the wraps burst, so it was unclear how the suspect succumbed to drug poisoning, but authorities with the Metropolitan Police Department’s narcotics and firearms control division surmised the drugs must have seeped out of the wraps somehow. 

The process of smuggling drugs this way is referred to as “body packing.” A study on this practice by the National Institute of Health defined body packing as “the way of psychoactive substances smuggling by swallowing of carefully prepared packages with drugs into the gastrointestinal tract or by insertion them into the vagina or the rectum, especially in order to avoid finding them by the custom service.”

During the study, researchers administered 60 wraps of cocaine totalling 500 grams to an otherwise healthy 29-year-old Polish male to monitor and observe how his body would react to the introduction of so many foreign objects.

“During the 37-hours stay in our department the patient was monitored (blood pressure, heart rate, temperature), laxatives and oral fluids were administered. All the packages were evacuated through the natural way and it was followed up by the control abdominal radiography. No symptoms of acute cocaine intoxication or any other complications were observed,” the study said.

Now you might be wondering, as I was while writing this, how exactly a person might go about smuggling drugs inside their body without ending up dead, as this man did. Well, some light internet digging netted me a few answers.

A Vice profile on a Dutch cocaine smuggler illustrated how easy some believe this process to be. The girl, who was given the moniker Sharon, told Vice she began smuggling drugs from the small Caribbean island of Curacao to the Netherlands because of how common and easy it was in the area.

“A lot of people would ask you to smuggle for them if they knew you were Dutch. But I always told them that I wouldn’t. Well, until I ran into a friend I knew from back home,” Sharon said to Vice. “She asked me if I would smuggle some stuff for her and I decided to do it. Everybody did it back then. Every flight would have at least ten or 20 people with drugs on it. Even little old grandmas were selling drugs in Curacao.”

Packing the drugs is very important, as evidenced by the case at the Tokyo Airport, because if the packaging breaks it can cause overdose and death extremely quickly. Sharon told Vice that in her case, the cocaine was packed in plastic, wrapped in a latex glove then taped shut with a particular kind of packaging tape. Afterwards, additional layers of plastic and latex were added. 

“It was really well packaged,” Sharon told Vice. “Some people had a hard time getting it down, though. They’d practice with a piece of carrot or something like that.” 

Sharon also attested that she had a friend die at the age of 19 from a packaging burst. The kicker is Sharon was under the impression that she never took this risk, because she only ever swallowed boiled cocaine. I was unable to confirm if there was any accuracy to this information. 

 “That was pure coke, though. I only swallowed boiled coke, which won’t kill you. Or, at least, that’s what they told me,” Sharon said to Vice. “I’ve seen a lot of drug mules get dropped off at A&E [the emergency room], actually.”

The test for whether packaging would hold up on its journey from esophagus to toilet bowl was simple, according to Sharon. She would simply drop it into a cup of water and if it sank to the bottom, it required repackaging. If it floated, down the hatch.

“It’s not that complicated,” Sharon told Vice.

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A multi-million dollar cocaine smuggling attempt was thwarted last month when Chinese customs officials discovered the cocaine had been converted into liquid form and disguised as white wine. 

According to the South China Morning Post, two men local to Hong Kong were arrested in connection with a shipping container sent from Brazil to Hong Kong which was carrying 706 bottles of red wine, white wine and juice. The container was flagged for inspection at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound due to Brazil’s status as a high-risk trafficking area based on the frequency of past narcotics seizures. 

Assistant Superintendent Jacky Tsang Kin-bon of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department told the South China Morning Post that the monetary value of the amount of cocaine seized was in the hundreds of millions of dollars range. 

“A total of 444 kilograms of suspected liquid cocaine was discovered in the 37 boxes,” Tsang Kin-bon said. “The estimated street value of the haul is about HK $490 million.”

Tsang Kin-bon indicated that what tipped authorities off to the suspicious contents of the container was that several of the boxes appeared to have been resealed, specifically boxes of white wine, packed in 37 boxes which were supposed to be packaged with four three-liter bags of white wine a piece. These bags tested positive for cocaine. 

The container had been sent by plain clothes officers with Hong Kong customs to Yuen Long where they waited for someone to come collect it. When no one did, it was sent to a yard in Kwai Chung where it was placed under 24-hour surveillance. Eventually, a 50-year-old man turned up to collect the container. He was later arrested along with his 38-year-old accomplice, neither of which was named by the South China Morning Post. 

Superintendent Lui Chi-tak of customs’ ports and maritime command told the South China Morning Post that “drug traffickers took every effort and deployed sophisticated methods to conceal the narcotic in an attempt to evade customs detection.” Senior Superintendent Wong added that this was the largest liquid cocaine bust by weight in the 20 years they’ve been keeping records of such things. 

Customs officials told the Post that the younger suspect was arrested on Saturday and the older a day later. The younger suspect was allegedly responsible for arranging the cargo’s transport from Brazil To Hong Kong and the older suspect was allegedly responsible for collecting and storing the drugs once on Chinese soil. 

As of Monday when the report was published, both suspects were still being held for questioning. Tsang Kin-bon told the post that the increase in product shipments around the holidays is often used as cover for the smuggling of narcotics.

“We believe the drug trafficking syndicate tried to take advantage of the busy logistics services before the Christmas and New Year holidays to smuggle the narcotic into the city and evade detection,” Tsang Kin-bon said, also indicating that their investigation revealed the large shipment was intended to supply the increased demand for cocaine around the holiday season (Chinese New Year is on February 10 and for whatever reason I feel compelled to disclose that 2024 is the year of the dragon).

According to the Post, the investigation into this instance of cocaine trafficking is still ongoing and customs officials have not ruled out further arrests. Trafficking of a dangerous drug in Hong Kong is punishable by a life sentence in prison and a fine of up to $5 million.

“Customs will continue to use its professionalism and determination to prevent illegal drugs from being smuggled into the city, thereby safeguarding the country’s southern gateway,” Senior Superintendent Wong said.

Not for nothing, but cocaine traffickers appear to be getting much more creative with their smuggling techniques. Not only has cocaine been disguised as white wine, but a cursory Google search will show that in recent months it has also been disguised as pasta noodles, charcoal, almond syrup, and bananas and that’s just since last June. Between that, and the constant barrage of headlines concerning kilograms of cocaine washing up on beaches all over the world, it would appear that internationally, narcotics agents are playing a very expensive and futile game of whack-a-mole with cocaine traffickers. 

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Thousands of arrests of drug users and drug dealers have been reported in Sri Lanka in less than two months.

According to reporting by the Associated Press, Sri Lankan authorities have initiated a crackdown operation on the drug trade in a country known widely for its role as an international narcotics trafficking hub. This crackdown, known as “Operation Yukthiya” which means justice, has been responsible for over 40,000 arrests since December of 2023. This is according to acting police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon, who also told the Associated Press that 65% of the drug trade in the entire country of Sri Lanka has been dismantled with the goal of complete elimination by month’s end.

These arrests were carried out as the result of nighttime raids using drug-sniffing dogs. These raids have targeted suspected addicts and people with previous records of drug-related arrests in addition to suspected traffickers. In the first weeks of the crackdown, the BBC reported that over 1,000 suspected drug addicts had been forcibly sent to rehabilitation centers run by the Sri Lankan military.

“These arrests [have] been made very arbitrarily. There is no reasonable suspicion, the kind of people arrested have a lower marginalized economic status,” said Thiyagi Ruwanpathirana, a researcher for Amnesty International Sri Lanka to Reuters. “The way in which the operations are carried out – there [are] cavity searches, strip searches in public, some of which are televised – it is really giving a lot of concern for human rights organizations.”

Operation Yukthiya has been heavily criticized by the United Nations for potential human rights violations in what they described as a “heavy-handed” operation which has resulted in about 5,000 detentions out of the tens of thousands of arrests made. The Associated Press also indicated there had been reports of torture carried out by Sri Lankan authorities.

“While drug use presents a serious challenge to society, a heavy-handed law enforcement approach is not the solution. Abuse of drugs and the factors that lead to it are first and foremost public health and social issues,” the United Nations said.

Sri Lankan authorities have vowed to continue Operation Yukthiya based on reports that more schoolchildren are using drugs and drug-related crimes are increasing in Sri Lanka, most of which involve heroin, cannabis, and cannabis hashish, according to the BBC. Public Security Minister Tiran Alles has said the United Nations should identify specific instances of human rights violations and that Sri Lankan police have been ordered to follow the law.

“We will not stop this operation. We will go ahead and we will do it the same way because we know that we are doing something good for the children of this country, for the women of this county and that is why the general public is whole-heartedly with us in these operations,” Alles said.

During the first week of Operation Yukthiya, BBC reported over 15,000 arrests were made and over 470 kilograms of various types of drugs were seized. Vehicles and other possessions of suspected criminals were also seized in the operation. The searches were, mercifully, put on hold for the Christmas holiday but continued in full-force shortly thereafter.

Sri Lanka made over 97,000 drug-related arrests in 2020 according to Reuters who cited the Sri Lanka National Dangerous Drugs Control Board. 53% of these arrests were for heroin and 42% for cannabis, many of which were simple possession offenses. 

“Sri Lanka’s strategic geographical position and proximity to countries which produce opium and heroin on a large scale make it convenient for traffickers to smuggle drugs into Sri Lanka,” said a 1998 report on the Sri Lankan approach to drug enforcement by the U.S. Department of Justice. “ In 1984, an amendment to the Poisons, Opium, and Dangerous Drugs Act introduced the death penalty for the violation of certain sections of the act. Anyone found guilty of possessing over 2 grams of heroin is liable to be sentenced to death. Heroin traffic is aggravated by the heavy involvement of Sri Lankan Tamils (a terrorist group) in the narcotics trade to Western European countries.”

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Thailand leaders believe the country’s move to decriminalize led to a surge of cannabis shops and unintended recreational use, and are backpedaling the law, clarifying several changes.

A draft bill to ban recreational use of potent cannabis products was published online on Jan. 9. Under the bill proposal, anyone who smokes cannabis for recreational purposes will face a fine of up to 60,000 baht (about $1,709.53). Those selling cannabis or its extracts for recreational purposes face up to one year in jail or 100,000 baht (about $2,849.21) in fines, or both.

Under the proposed new rules, advertising or marketing campaigns for cannabis flower, extracts, and any paraphernalia used to smoke will be prohibited. Driving while high on cannabis would be punishable with a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($569.83), or one year in jail. 

The government will also tighten licensing rules for cannabis planting, sales, exports and imports.

The changes are meant to rectify what lawmakers couldn’t foresee earlier.

“We drafted this law to prohibit the wrong usage of cannabis,” Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew told Thai media outlets. “All recreational usage is wrong.”

Published on the health ministry’s website on Tuesday, the new draft bill clarifies that only medical uses of cannabis are allowed, while outlawing recreational use.

Thailand Decriminalization Plan Criticized

In a series of steps to decriminalize low-potency pot in Thailand, the first Asian nation to decriminalize pot, after laying out regulations for medical cannabis in 2018. That made Thailand the first Southeast Asian nation to legalize cannabis for medical use. A few years later, the Thai cabinet approved amendments to the country’s drug laws to allow for the production and sale of medical marijuana, including cannabis flower.

In preparation for the new law, Thailand health and agricultural ministries collaborated to distribute one million free cannabis plants for residents to grow at home for medicinal purposes.

On June 9, 2022, Thailand removed cannabis from the nation’s list of banned drugs. The catch, however, was that restaurants and cafes are permitted to sell foods and beverages infused with cannabis, but only if they contain no more than 0.2% THC, which would be called industrial hemp in the U.S.. Products with higher concentrations of THC are allowed for medical purposes.

This didn’t appear to impact the ability of people in Thailand to quickly find legal loopholes.

After around 6,000 cannabis shops opened in a green rush, lawmakers backpedaled after they seemingly accidentally legalized recreational use. The Strait Times reported the new law created a “regulatory vacuum,” leading to a surge in new businesses. Thailand’s newly-elected Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin spoke out against the recreational use of pot after concerns of drug abuse were raised, and vowed to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic.

In September 2023, Thavisin declared war on drugs as a national agenda in his campaign, Bangkok Post reports, focusing on meth, but with part of the plan to scale back the country’s cannabis policy. “A consensus has been reached among the 11 coalition parties as well as all other parties in the opposition that the need to tackle the drugs problem is high on the agenda,” he said. “Let’s make today the start of a new fight to stamp out drug problems from society.” 

Cannabis Advocates Slam Bill Endorsement

Cannabis advocates criticized his decision to endorse the draft bill  without consulting the civil sector—as he had promised earlier.

A pro-cannabis group—Thai Cannabis Future Writing Network—posted a response to the  Srikaew’s comments criticizing his

“As Dr. Chonnan Srikaew promised the Thai Cannabis Future Writing Network when they discussed together that before the draft is brought to the Cabinet for consideration, a forum will be opened to listen to public opinion first so that the various measures are based on facts,” the Thai Cannabis Future Writing Network posted, as translated from Google.

“But it appears that many media reports reported that yesterday, January 6, 2024, Minister Chonnan signed the draft. The Marijuana Act has been sent to the Cabinet. Minister Chonnan Srikaew, why doesn’t he keep his word? 

“He was like this so often that we thought it was his personality. That hearing must take place before the submission of the draft. It is not that the draft has already been sent and will be heard later. We still don’t see what all the measures are laid out in your law. But from your interview, we think that many measures have problems. Not based on facts.”

The organization then listed several issues they have with the draft bill.
The deadline for public opinion falls on Jan. 23, after which the cabinet will weigh both the draft legislation and suggestions before it goes to Parliament for further deliberation.

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