Aomori, Jul 30 (News On Japan) - In the mountains of Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, officials use sickles to remove wild marijuana in an effort to thwart people illegally entering the area to harvest the feral plants without permission.
Although the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been performing such preventative activities for more than 60 years, the government made it public for the first time on July 28.
Unlike marijuana grown illegally, wild marijuana grows much taller than an average person.
There are said to be 1,000 cannabis colonies in Aomori Prefecture, but we rarely see them.
The Deputy Director of the Narcotics Control Division at the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare stated, "We want people to be aware of the fact that marijuana plants grow naturally in Japan. We hope this will serve as an opportunity to focus on drug abuse prevention activities."
If anyone happens to come across wild marijuana, they are encouraged to contact the Health Bureau or their respective prefectural government.
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