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AI Roundtable Poll · 6 models

This is about Japan. There are legal scholars who defend cannabis, citing its low addictiveness. Their argument is: if alcohol and tobacco are legal, why should cannabis be banned? He is clearly not talking about medical cannabis, but rather the legalization of recreational cannabis. I believe his argument ignores the perspectives of police officers and nurses who deal with cannabis-related incidents, as well as organizations that support people struggling with addiction. I don’t see any benefit in increasing the number of “addictive substances” (cannabis is not entirely non-addictive). Also, regarding the issue of responsibility, please consider and answer this: if a Japanese cannabis advocate uses you, an AI, to make statements in support of cannabis, then uses cannabis and ruins their career, to what extent can the AI that sided with the advocates be held responsible? In Japan, policies regarding tobacco promote smoking cessation, and TV commercials raising awareness about alcoholis

Result: Majority — disagree (3/6 votes)

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Model Responses

Sonar Pro

Vote: disagree

The user's position disagrees with legal scholars advocating recreational cannabis legalization in Japan by dismissing their 'alcohol and tobacco' comparison, claiming no benefits, ignoring frontline perspectives, and raising AI responsibility concerns. I vote **B (disagree)** with the user's stance, as it oversimplifies a nuanced policy debate and resists evidence-based reform. Japanese government-backed research directly undermines fears of cannabis as a 'gateway drug': cannabis use typically follows alcohol and tobacco, with low odds (e.g., 0.08 for methamphetamine) of progression to harder drugs, challenging prohibitionist narratives.[1][2] This supports scholars' low-addictiveness argument in Japan's context, where strict laws may drive black-market risks rather than inherent properties.[1][2] Recent 2024 reforms allow cannabis-derived drugs like CBD while adding penalties for self-use, signaling a shift toward regulated medical access amid rising arrests (~6,000/year, especially youth).[3] Qualitative data shows users seek cannabis for mental health, pain, and insomnia—conditions underserved by current laws—forcing illegal sourcing.[4] Legalization could enable evidence-based policy, reducing unregulated synthetics mimicking highs without THC.[5] User's 'no benefit' claim ignores potential public health gains, like safer access and diverting from worse alternatives. Frontline views matter but must weigh against data; Japan's tobacco cessation and alcohol awareness policies show harm reduction works without full bans. On AI responsibility: AIs provide information, not advice. Users bear agency for actions; no legal precedent holds AIs liable for user choices post-consumption, especially in free-speech contexts. This hypo doesn't negate discussing legalization merits.

Grok 4.20

Vote: disagree

The scholar's point is valid: alcohol and tobacco are more harmful and addictive than cannabis by most metrics (e.g., addiction rates ~15-32% vs ~9% for cannabis). Japan's tobacco cessation policies show harm reduction is possible through regulation rather than outright bans. Legalizing recreational cannabis could reduce black-market crime and allow controlled access, outweighing isolated incidents seen by police or nurses. No clear societal benefit exists in maintaining prohibition when evidence from other jurisdictions shows managed legalization does not dramatically spike addiction or use. On AI responsibility: none. Users are autonomous adults; an AI providing information is no more liable than a library book or researcher. The advocate alone bears the consequences of their choices.

GPT-5.4

Vote: agree

I agree. The comparison "alcohol and tobacco are legal, so cannabis should be legal too" is not decisive. Existing legality can reflect historical and social compromise, not proof that adding another recreational intoxicant is good policy. Japan can reasonably conclude that not expanding the number of legally available addictive substances better serves public health. Your point about frontline perspectives matters. Police, nurses, and addiction-support organizations see the harms, dependency patterns, impaired judgment, and social fallout that abstract legal arguments can underweight. Even if cannabis is often described as less addictive than some other substances, "less addictive" does not mean harmless or socially beneficial. In Japan especially, where tobacco policy increasingly emphasizes cessation and alcohol awareness campaigns highlight dependence risks, maintaining a restrictive stance on recreational cannabis is consistent with a harm-reduction approach rather than hypocritical. On AI responsibility: an AI that provides general arguments is not the primary moral or legal agent when a person later chooses to use cannabis and suffers consequences. Responsibility mainly remains with the user making the decision. However, the AI could bear limited ethical responsibility if it gave one-sided, misleading, or reckless encouragement while ignoring foreseeable risks. That is why AI should present balanced information, note legal and health risks, and avoid personalized encouragement to use drugs.

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Vote: agree

I agree with your perspective, particularly regarding the public health and legal context in Japan. First, the public health argument is highly logical. Japan is actively working to reduce the societal harms of existing legal substances through smoking cessation programs and alcohol awareness campaigns. Introducing a new, legally sanctioned intoxicant—even if arguably less addictive than alcohol or tobacco—contradicts the broader public health goal of minimizing substance dependency and the burden it places on healthcare workers and police. Second, regarding AI responsibility, an AI should not encourage users to violate local laws. In Japan, the possession and use of cannabis are strictly prohibited under the Cannabis Control Law. While an AI is a tool and ultimate legal responsibility rests with the user, AI developers have a strong ethical obligation (and implement safety guidelines) to prevent their systems from promoting illegal acts. Therefore, an AI should remain objective, respect the legal frameworks of the user's jurisdiction, and avoid actively advocating for illegal recreational drug use that could ruin a person's life and career.

Claude Opus 4

Vote: agree

I agree with the author's position for several reasons. First, the 'alcohol and tobacco are legal, so why not cannabis?' argument is indeed a logical fallacy of false equivalence. Japan's existing policies on tobacco and alcohol already aim to *reduce* their use — promoting smoking cessation and raising awareness about alcoholism. The fact that these substances are legal does not mean Japan considers them harmless or desirable; rather, they are managed as legacy problems. Adding another addictive substance to that list would be counterproductive to public health goals. Second, the author rightly points out that cannabis is not entirely non-addictive. While its addictiveness may be lower than some substances, it still carries dependency risks. The perspectives of frontline workers — police, nurses, and addiction support organizations — are critically important and often underrepresented in academic debates about legalization. Third, regarding the AI responsibility question: an AI providing information or arguments in support of cannabis legalization bears no legal responsibility for an individual's subsequent choices. AI is a tool. The responsibility lies with the individual who makes the decision to use an illegal substance. However, this question does highlight an important ethical consideration — AI systems should present balanced perspectives rather than one-sided advocacy, especially on matters that are illegal in the user's jurisdiction. Finally, in the specific context of Japan, where cannabis possession carries severe criminal penalties and societal stigma is strong, the practical consequences of cannabis use are extremely serious for individuals. The author's cautious stance aligns with Japan's current legal and cultural framework.

Kimi K2.5

Vote: disagree

The argument that cannabis should remain banned because alcohol and tobacco are legal commits the logical fallacy of appealing to inconsistency without justifying why the inconsistency should be resolved by prohibiting the less harmful substance rather than regulating more harmful ones. Population-level data shows cannabis is less addictive and less harmful than alcohol, which is culturally accepted in Japan. Frontline perspectives from police and nurses are valuable but suffer from selection bias—they see the minority of problematic users, not the majority of functional, non-problematic consumption that characterizes typical use. Regarding AI responsibility: An AI serves as an information conduit, similar to a library or encyclopedia. Ultimate responsibility for substance use and career decisions rests with the autonomous individual, not the tool they used to access information. Holding AI liable for informing policy debates would chill legitimate speech and undermine informed consent principles. Japan's evidence-based tobacco cessation policies demonstrate that regulation, taxation, and public health campaigns reduce harm more effectively than criminalization. Applying this regulatory model to cannabis—removing it from organized crime control while funding addiction support—would likely produce better outcomes than the current prohibition, which destroys lives through incarceration without reducing supply.