Photo/Illutration Seized dangerous drugs are shown in small bottles at Kobe in September 2021. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

As many as 300 stores selling “dangerous drugs” have sprung up nationwide following an aggressive crackdown in 2015 to eliminate these quasi-legal chemicals, studies show.

An increasing use of such designer drugs, mainly among young people, prompted government agencies to reinstall a panel to discuss the issue and tighten control of the substances.

The panel met on Sept. 29 for the first time since January 2016.

Dangerous drugs refer to products with similar chemical compositions to hemp, narcotics and stimulants. They can generate hallucinations and impair consciousness.

Since March this year, a number of patients have been hospitalized for the ill effects of dangerous drugs.

At times, the chemicals are labeled as “legal marijuana,” but possessing and using dangerous drugs containing illicit ingredients is prohibited.

One problem for law enforcement has been that producers of the drugs use chemical combinations that are not officially illegal. If such mixtures do become prohibited, the chemists simply change the recipe to stay “quasi-legal.” 

In 2014, an automobile operated by a man under the influence of a dangerous drug killed or injured seven people in front of JR Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo’s Toshima Ward.

That incident put the national spotlight on the problem of dangerous drug use, and the government tightened regulations on quasi-legal chemicals.

In March 2014, 215 establishments across Japan were selling dangerous drugs. They were all closed down by July 2015.

But dangerous drugs were then traded primarily via social media and elsewhere online, making it difficult for authorities to collect precise information on the designer drugs.

The health ministry, with the help of narcotics control departments and local governments, looked into how the drugs are handled at actual and online shops throughout the country.

The results showed that 200 brick-and-mortar stores had made “comebacks” by the end of August.

Combined with another study conducted by the National Police Agency, 300 dangerous drug shops were operating as of mid-September.

More than half of them were actual stores, many of them operating in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. Some receive and deliver orders through the internet or by phone and other means.

Dangerous drugs can take the form of gummi candy and liquid for electronic cigarettes.

The health ministry confirmed at least 16 cases of health problems linked to dangerous drugs between January and August this year, compared with eight reported in all of last year.

One drug user fell into a dazed and confused state, and then experienced breathing difficulties and vomiting. In other cases, a drug abuser caused a traffic accident while another fell from an apartment building.

“Many more health hazards than those officially identified must have transpired,” a health ministry official said.

Abuse of dangerous drugs is particularly noticeable among younger generations.

NPA statistics showed that 252 individuals were caught using dangerous drugs this year through the end of August, 1.6 times the number for the same period the previous year.

Those in their 20s or younger accounted for 60 percent of the cases.

The specialized panel will intensify the crackdown on dangerous drugs, such as promptly designating not-yet-forbidden ingredients and increasing cooperation between related agencies.

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