What is your opinion of cannabis?

Hello r/AskAJapanese, I'm curious what prevailing opinions are around cannabis among the Japanese population here on Reddit.

I'm asking this for a few reasons... First, I asked a similar question in a recent AMA and was down-voted without much response, and I'm curious as to why. Second, I come from a place (Oregon, USA) where cannabis has been decriminalized since the late 1970s and legalized for recreational use for about 10 years. That is to say, that it is culturally very accepted here, and I feel part of a broader global movement of slow-but-sure legalization.

Finally, I know that cannabis possession is highly illegal in Japan with severe punishments, thus creating a strong stigma against it and making it unlikely that most people have tried it or even been around it. However, I'm more curious about people's personal feelings of it than what the law says--as laws are not always just nor do they reflect the feelings of all people.

So, Japanese Reddit, my various questions for you are:

• What is your general impression of cannabis and being high?
  • Is it positive, neutral, or negative?
  • What informed that impression?
• How do you feel about medical cannabis vs recreational use?
• What is your biggest concern when it comes to cannabis use?
• Given Japan's history with hemp cultivation, how do you feel about industrial uses of cannabis?
• How do you feel about current Japanese cannabis laws?
  • Do you think they are too strict? Just right? Or not strict enough?
  • Do you think that "up to 5 years of jail time" is an appropriate penalty for possession of cannabis?
  • If Japanese cannabis laws changed, would your attitude change?
• What is your opinion on cannabis laws and the trend towards legalization outside of Japan?
  • Would the legal status or culture around cannabis affect your desire to visit another country or city? How so?
  • How do you feel about the fact that criminalization of cannabis in Japan goes back to the post-war era of American influence, while many places in America now have significantly more lax laws than Japan?
• How do you make sense of the difference in Japanese laws and cultural attitudes around alcohol (sake, beer, 飲み会, etc.) or tobacco, and cannabis?
  • Hypothetically, if the same law had to be used for alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, would you prefer they all be treated like alcohol is currently treated, or like cannabis is currently treated?
• Is there a difference between how you perceive Japanese cannabis users and non-Japanese cannabis users?
  • What about well-known cannabis users like The Beatles, Bob Marley, Willy Nelson, Tom Petty, Louis Armstrong, John Mayer, as well as many other internationally famous musicians, artists, comedians, actors, etc.? Why do you think they aren't as negatively affected by anti-cannabis stigma?

Anyway, while I know this is a touchy subject in Japan, I'm curious to learn why, and what the Japanese population of Reddit truly thinks about the humble cannabis plant and its place in modern society.

I have put in some effort to research this topic before asking, and so I hope that people will put effort into their responses no matter how they feel about cannabis. (And if you believe that my impressions or understanding of Japanese culture or history are wrong, please tell me because I am certainly not an expert!)

日本語があまり上手じゃありませんけど、日本語で書いた答えやコメントもOKです！分かってみますよ。w