5. Conclusion and Insightsfrom society is nearly impossible. From this perspective, Canada’s policy shift from prohibition to promoting safe use seems to reflect a forward-looking response adapted to its social realities. At first glance, Japan may seem safe while Canada appears dangerous when it comes to drug issues. However, considering the possibility that Japan too may one day face a future where drug users can no longer be fully controlled, I felt that there is lessons Japan could learn from Canada. The goal in addressing drug problems depends on whether we define it as reducing drug use itself or eliminating the harms caused by drugs. Japan and Canada symbolize these two contrasting positions. I believe there is great potential for the two countries to learn from one another and to cooperate in developing more effective approaches to drug policy. In this report, I compared drug issues in Japan and Canada and summarized their respective characteristics and policy approaches. Personally, having grown up in Japan for many years with the deeply rooted belief that drugs are unacceptable, I found Canada’s view that drug use should be respected as a matter of individual freedom, both new and thought-provoking. I came to realize that when people suffering from social or psychological difficulties are deprived of drugs as an option, there is the possibility that they may instead choose to take their own lives. In fact, even in Japan, more people are overdosing on over-the-counter drugs under the false assumption that they are safe simply because they are not illegal. I was left with the impression that even if the sale of OTC drugs were restricted, as long as the root causes behind drug use (such as loneliness) are not resolved, drug-related problems will continue to appear in other forms. Furthermore, these underlying psychological issues are intertwined with a variety of social and personal factors, and it is necessary to recognize that eliminating them 9
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