Japan should consider allowing medical cannabis: health panel

Medicines or other products made from other parts of the plant are illegal, even if the psychoactive substance has been filtered out. - AFP

TOKYO (Bloomberg): Japan - which has strict laws against the use of marijuana - should consider approving the import, manufacture and use of medicines derived from cannabis, subject to the same approval process as pharmaceuticals, a Health Ministry panel said.

At the same time, the country should do more to discourage recreational use of the plant, the committee said in its findings following a meeting on Thursday.