Police nationwide reported a record 4,321 people were involved in marijuana cases in 2019, up 743 from the previous year and a record high for the third year in a row, the National Police Agency announced Thursday.
Among the total, 609 were below age 20, an increase of 180 from the previous year and most ever for minors since the agency started compiling statistics in 1959.
By age group, those in their 20s and 30s accounted for about 70% of the total. There were 1,950 in their 20s, up 429 from the previous year, followed by those in their 30s with 1,068, a drop of 33.
Cannabis use is spreading among minors, with 109 high school students, an increase of 35, marking the highest total since statistics on this group were first compiled in 1972. Police reported that six junior high school students -- one less than the previous year -- were involved in marijuana cases, with the youngest a 14-year-old boy.
According to the NPA, the street price of marijuana last year was 6,000 yen per gram, about one-tenth the price of stimulant drugs at 64,000 yen. Cannabis is sold via social media and other Internet sites, creating "an environment where it is easily accessible to young people," according to a senior police official.
The number of suppliers are also on the rise. Last year, 164 people were arrested for cultivating marijuana -- up 12 from the previous year -- and 80 people for smuggling, an increase of 17. A total of 350.2 kilograms of dried cannabis was seized, more than doubled the amount of five years ago.
Between October and November of last year, the NPA surveyed 631 people investigated for marijuana possession and found that 15.4% of them were aware of the harmful effects of marijuana, a percentage far lower than the 78.6% when asked about stimulant drugs.
Information claiming "cannabis is harmless" is said to circulate widely on the internet, and the NPA is calling on the public to resist using it.
"It is harmful to the human body and addictive, and heavy use can result in memory loss and other effects," the agency said.
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