FruityBud
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The Yomiuri Shimbun
An increasing number of people have been arrested or questioned by police on suspicion of growing marijuana at home after purchasing foreign cannabis seeds online, with the seeds slipping past airport customs.
Last year 123 people were arrested or questioned on suspicion of growing marijuana, 3.6 times the number 10 years ago, according to the National Police Agency.
An Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) Niigata employee was arrested in July last year, and the son of former Finance Minister Masayoshi Takemura was arrested in February for growing marijuana at their homes. Both of them bought seeds on the Internet, the police said.
Such seeds are not controlled under the Cannabis Control Law, which bans the possession or growing of marijuana. It is not illegal to possess or sell preemergent cannabis seeds.
When cannabis seeds are brought into Japan, the seeds must be heat-treated to prevent them from being able to germinate. But police and custom authorities have been pondering how to deal with the large number of cannabis seeds that have slipped through customs, sources said.
There are many Web sites that peddle the seed with advertising messages promising "cheap marijuana," and "high-quality hemp."
Most of them are seeds from foreign countries such as the Netherlands, which has more lenient regulations regarding marijuana. Prices can range from 4,000 yen to 40,000 yen for 10 seeds.
If the sellers provide the seeds to customers, knowing the intended use is for growing marijuana, the action is considered as a crime.
But the sites often post notices saying, "The seeds are for ornamental purposes," making it hard to prove criminal intent if the sellers insist they did not know the buyers intended to grow marijuana, sources said.
The law does not control cannabis seeds because they also are used in bird food and for making spices.
But under an Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry regulation, the seeds are required to be heat-treated at customs.
If the seeds are imported without being heat-treated, the offenders could face up to three years in prison for violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law.
However, most cannabis seeds are shipped in unmarked packages and brought into the country via international mail.
"They don't smell, so they're hard to detect," a customhouse senior official said.
Even when custom officials find hemp seeds that have not been heat-treated, they cannot identify the senders as most of them are from nonexistent companies. Importers also pretend to know nothing, including information about customers.
The agency said it could be possible to build a case over violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law by tracking importers from cannabis growers, though no such case has happened.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071108TDY04305.htm
An increasing number of people have been arrested or questioned by police on suspicion of growing marijuana at home after purchasing foreign cannabis seeds online, with the seeds slipping past airport customs.
Last year 123 people were arrested or questioned on suspicion of growing marijuana, 3.6 times the number 10 years ago, according to the National Police Agency.
An Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) Niigata employee was arrested in July last year, and the son of former Finance Minister Masayoshi Takemura was arrested in February for growing marijuana at their homes. Both of them bought seeds on the Internet, the police said.
Such seeds are not controlled under the Cannabis Control Law, which bans the possession or growing of marijuana. It is not illegal to possess or sell preemergent cannabis seeds.
When cannabis seeds are brought into Japan, the seeds must be heat-treated to prevent them from being able to germinate. But police and custom authorities have been pondering how to deal with the large number of cannabis seeds that have slipped through customs, sources said.
There are many Web sites that peddle the seed with advertising messages promising "cheap marijuana," and "high-quality hemp."
Most of them are seeds from foreign countries such as the Netherlands, which has more lenient regulations regarding marijuana. Prices can range from 4,000 yen to 40,000 yen for 10 seeds.
If the sellers provide the seeds to customers, knowing the intended use is for growing marijuana, the action is considered as a crime.
But the sites often post notices saying, "The seeds are for ornamental purposes," making it hard to prove criminal intent if the sellers insist they did not know the buyers intended to grow marijuana, sources said.
The law does not control cannabis seeds because they also are used in bird food and for making spices.
But under an Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry regulation, the seeds are required to be heat-treated at customs.
If the seeds are imported without being heat-treated, the offenders could face up to three years in prison for violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law.
However, most cannabis seeds are shipped in unmarked packages and brought into the country via international mail.
"They don't smell, so they're hard to detect," a customhouse senior official said.
Even when custom officials find hemp seeds that have not been heat-treated, they cannot identify the senders as most of them are from nonexistent companies. Importers also pretend to know nothing, including information about customers.
The agency said it could be possible to build a case over violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law by tracking importers from cannabis growers, though no such case has happened.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071108TDY04305.htm
