OKINAWA (TR) – At the opening of her trial at the Naha District Court on Monday, former actress Saya Takagi denied charges of possession of marijuana, reports Nippon News Network (Jan. 23).
Takagi, an advocate for the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, told the court, “[The drugs] were not in my possession.”
According to the indictment, the 53-year-old Takagi, whose real name is Ikue Masudo, was arrested in October for allegedly possessing about 55 grams of dried marijuana at her residence in Ishigaki City. Other members of the household, including Shigenari Moriyama, 58, were also arrested.
Moriyama told the court that the marijuana belonged to him.
Takagi indicated that she used the marijuana about 10 times last year, including just prior to her arrest. However, she has not been charged with use of the drug.
“Due a menopausal disorder and pain from a wisdom tooth removed three years ago, I was using [marijuana] four or five times a month,” she said. “We have confidence in using marijuana for medical purposes.”
In the upper house election in July, Takagi was defeated in her bid for a seat in Tokyo after she ran under a platform that advocated the lifting of the ban on marijuana for medical purposes.
Takagi, a native of Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, made her debt as an actress in 1983. After moving to Okinawa in 2011, she retired from show business the following year and began pursuing activities to raise awareness for environmental causes.
