Parent-driven policies: Citizen activism surrounding CBD and Japan's institutional stagnation
A drop of light deemed "illegal" on a sleepless night
“She may have another seizure today…” A mother, who is on edge 24 hours a day in preparation for her daughter’s seizure, has a bottle of CBD oil beside her. A drop of this oil, which can be obtained with a doctor’s prescription overseas, is considered an “illegal drug” in Japan. CBD has already been put to practical use as a medical treatment for children suffering from intractable epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, in Japan, the discussion has not progressed sufficiently. Now, parents are beginning to speak out in order to fill that “void.”
Citizen-driven health policy: signatures, petitions, and cooperation with lawmakers
In 2023, a petition calling for medical approval of CBD for pediatric epilepsy patients, led by a Japanese NPO, collected more than 20,000 signatures and submitted it to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The people who support this activity are not doctors or researchers, but ordinary parents who want to help their children. “Before the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare took action, parents had no choice but to act. It’s too cruel to have zero options,” said one initiator. They have no lobbying experience or legal expertise. However, they have made policy proposals together with the Diet members they worked with, and have held multiple study sessions and public hearings related to CBD. They are steadily opening up a hole in society’s “indifference.”
Japan as an “institutionally backward” country regarding medical marijuana
The medical use of CBD for children is no longer the exception in Western countries.
- USA: FDA-approved CBD medication (Epidiolex) is available for prescription (for epilepsy)
- UK: Doctors are allowed to prescribe CBD and THC at their discretion (including for children)
- Australia: There are cases of use in pediatric patients under the special approval system.
- Thailand: State-run CBD clinic begins prescribing CBD to children with developmental disabilities
Meanwhile, in Japan, medical marijuana is virtually completely banned. It is difficult to import, and clinical trials are rarely conducted. “It’s not a scientific problem, it’s a system problem,” says one medical policy advisor familiar with pharmaceutical administration. In Japan, the Cannabis Control Act and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s guidelines are intricately intertwined, making it difficult to even make exceptions for medical purposes.
To protect our children's "normal future"
What we call a “normal life” —
sleeping, eating, laughing, going to school. There are hundreds of thousands of children around the world who cannot do this.
CBD has certainly opened the door to this life for some children. The voices of parents who argue that “the discussion should be about the therapeutic effects, not about illegality,” and “now is the time to start research and legal development for the future of standard medical care” are now being heard across borders.
Investing in children's health care starts with updating the system
In order for Japan not to be left behind in this field, it is urgent to redesign the institutional infrastructure. We need a medical marijuana policy that is not just about “lifting the ban on marijuana,” but about “lifting the ban on choice.” There is room for not only bureaucrats, but also private investors, the media, educators, and readers themselves to participate as “citizens with a voice.” The days when it was taboo to even talk about medical marijuana in Japan are already becoming a thing of the past. Surprisingly, the people who are creating that future are those who seem the most powerless: parents.
Policy Recommendation: Lifting the Ban on Medical Marijuana as an Alternative in Japan
▶Why is institutional reform needed now?
At the end of 2023, Japan began considering the use of THC for medical purposes under the revised Cannabis Control Act. However, operational guidelines have not been established, and there are no guidelines on the use of CBD and THC, especially for children. Doctors in the field are not even clear about the scope of their obligation to explain, let alone whether they can prescribe, and are avoiding it as an “area that should not be touched.” At the same time, patients’ families are forced to suffer between illegality and ethics. This institutional vacuum is at a level that cannot be ignored as a country governed by law, even from an ethical perspective.