[Mr. BIG]

Ecstasy, known as MDMA, is addictive and extended use can reportedly cause kidney and liver damage as well as memory loss.

The experts left out the permanent damage to the reproductive system and severe brain damage, too.

Police said that although the number of apprehensions for stimulant use has decreased over the past few years, use of other drugs, including cannabis, has become widespread. "There is a possibility that cannabis and other low-resistance tablet drugs are becoming the first drugs that young people try," an NPA official said.

These Japanese cops are really on the ball....do they think people/kids wake up one day and just decide to try heroin/ecstacy?? Of course they progress from less harmful substances like pot....besides, how are they calculating the number of apprehensions for stimulant use??

[mercutio]

Ecstasy, known as MDMA, is addictive and extended use can reportedly cause kidney and liver damage as well as memory loss.

The experts left out the permanent damage to the reproductive system and severe brain damage, too.

blah blah blah... MDMA does cause temporary shifts in the brains sensitivity to seratonin and associated neurotransmitters but it there is no evidence that it causes permanent brain damage. The biggest problem is usually the crap people sell and pass off as mdma... That combined with idiots that take 5 untested tabs of the crap they were sold and hit the rave.

A good example is DXM, which is a hallucinogen in large enough doses and an active ingrdient in rhobitussin... a couple of years ago a batch of this shit came out marketed as X and there were several deaths and cases of permanent brain damage. While DXM is a hallucinogen it also short circuits the body's temperature regulation system. People were popping a bunch of these and dancing for hours (like they would do on X). Their body temperatures spiralled out of control and they literally cooked in their own juices.

[Crispy]

I was under the impression that most deaths from MDMA were from dehydration.

[Mr. BIG]

Mercutio, that's exactly what I'm saying.....

Pure X doesn't have the negative side effects that the shit out on the street has....and that's the problem. Nowadays, the stuff sold as ecstacy is cut with heroin, amphetamines, and tons of other shit like the DXM you mentioned. It doesn't matter whether or not pure MDMA has no negative side effects, it's the other substances that do the harm....and no matter how many testing booths get set up at parties and clubs, somebody's still gonna take a bad-pill and get turned into a vegetable.

[turntwo]

Synthetic drug seizures skyrocket

Police said it was likely many of the tablets and capsules confiscated were produced in the Netherlands and other countries in Europe and smuggled into Japan through foreign crime organizations.

Sure, why not blame it on the foreigner! There's gotta be somebody to kick around, right?

Of course, the fact that there's a strong DEMAND for all types of recreational drugs in Japan, and that it's this demand which drives the market, is probably lost on the Js.

This is the kind of thing I don't miss about being in Japan: Being the object of racism. Day after day, gaijin readers are bombarded with this propoganda. "It's the Koreans...It's the Russian mafia...It's the Blacks." No wonder gaijin get so pissed off! It's like watching that Beavis & Butthead episode where Beavis keeps sayin', "I didn't do it!...It was a foreigner!"

Talk about a country that's in serious denial.

I don't worry about it, though. While Korea and China race forward into the 21st century, Japan remains frozen in the starting blocks. I find it quite humorous that their economy is sputtering while those of their Asian neighbors prosper. Let's see if they can figure out for themselves what needs to be done to right the ship...

[befamfivh]

Nowadays, the stuff sold as ecstacy is cut with heroin, amphetamines, and tons of other shit

I thought MDMA was an amphetamine...

[befamfivh]

wait a sec...

Ecstasy, known as MDMA

isn't that backwards? As far as I'm concerned, Mainichi has just destroyed their journalistic integrity. Unacceptable...

[cstaylor]

wait a sec...

Ecstasy, known as MDMA

isn't that backwards? As far as I'm concerned, Mainichi has just destroyed their journalistic integrity. Unacceptable...

"Journalistic Integrity?"

[cstaylor]

Let's see if they can figure out for themselves what needs to be done to right the ship...

They've already started working on it: [1] Get a centralized computer system put together with everyone's name, address, and other information the government doesn't need to have. [2] Start brainwashing the kids that foreign words are bad and should be stripped from the language

[turntwo]

[2] Start brainwashing the kids that foreign words are bad and should be stripped from the language

Just like the French, the Js might just decide to systematically eliminate gairaigo. That would be sweet! After all, it's much easier to say "jouhou" than it is to say "infomeeshon".

[Ketou]

The only pretty sight will be the smile on the politicians faces (not), as they get the chance to do more porkbarreling. ie building of new prisons to house to explosion of delinquents caught with drugs.
One joint and you can look at four years down the road. A plant? Try seven!

[ronin juku]

Remember all the fuss before the world cup? Ooooooh, all them nasty gaijin soccer hooligans they were expecting.........and in the end it was the locals that tore the roof off the mother.

More power to the kids in Shibuya and Roppongi that went off and enjoyed themselves. Even if the World Cup is another Opium for the masses, the locals swallowed it like amphetamine.

Bigu buraza has always tolerated (even encouraged) opium for the masses, he just doesnt like it when we enjoy them

There`s a fine line between pleasure and change

[befamfivh]

I prefer to stick to good ol' plain opium.