Two arrested for selling 'loophole drugs'

herbs herself right....

People and their drugs, it's like they never grow out of adolescence.

What's next, oregano?

The term “loophole drugs” refers to herbs that circumvent current substance control laws

Am I missing something? If they circumvent current control laws, how can it be illegal to sell them?

Am I missing something? If they circumvent current control laws, how can it be illegal to sell them?

You are missing something. Paragraph 3 says "17 herbs were added to the list of banned drugs." What was once legal, is no longer legal.

Could go into my ussual rant about the futility of drug prohibition laws. But will restrict myself to asking why all the effort for this relatively harmless (i.e. no yaks, no crime, no addicts) end of the market when shabu and worse are freely available in Roppongi and Shinjuku?

Thats a strange headline. If people now get arrested for them, they are obviously no longer "loophole".

Am I missing something? If they circumvent current control laws, how can it be illegal to sell them?

You are missing something. Paragraph 3 says "17 herbs were added to the list of banned drugs." What was once legal, is no longer legal.

Yeah, but if they're still calling them "loophole drugs", then they're legal, right??

For god sakes...just legalize and tax this stuff and get on with it!

New laws more underground transactions its nice not having dealers in the street except for those chaps in Roppongi, I guess they must be above the law. Or the law dosent apply to donations to World Vision.

For years the press used blanket terms when reporting about drug use/misuse. A whole generation of people are ill-informed about various drugs, including the legal ones we see every day. as usual (and not only in Japan) substances are being illegalised because of their nature as opposed to their effects or use. The "spate" of incidents involving "legal highs" were related to traffic accidents - everyone knows that if you get hammered on alcohol then drive a vehicle, chances are you may cause an accident and be dealt with under the law. Going out after work and getting a bit merry, on the other hand, is the norm for a large proportion of the world. People need to be informed about the effects of what they are taking, and the risks connected to, for example, operating a vehicle etc. there should definitely be a reassessment of classification.

One of my "friends" was arrested in Japan for possessing Marijuana. He went on to tell police that he thought it was the "loophole" type and he was freed. So basically "loopholes" can help you get away with anything.

parsley , sage , rosemary & thyme .

The really stupid part is that if they would just legalize the real thing (marijuana), then there would be no need for people to produce these synthetic herbs with their harmful side effects. When was the last time you heard about someone overdosing on marijuana?

Loopholes etc..bunch of crap! If people are too stupid to not know that this crap is bad for their health and minds, then may we need to learn from clean countries like Malaysia, Singapore etc..where they do not mess around, just chop off your heads for using or trafficking drugs.

just chop off your heads for using or trafficking drugs.

Really? So you think the penalty for people ingesting things into their own body should be death? My, the standards of what we'd kill for keep getting lower and lower.

But honestly, the drug war has absolutely no moral basis and buckles under any logical assessment. If we're outlawing drugs based on danger and potential for abuse, we'd have legalized weed, ecstasy, and hallucinogens, and outlawed tobacco and alcohol.

The world is quite mad over drugs. Somewhere along the line leaders got the idea that our bodies are their property.

Japan sure loves loopholes.

But honestly, the drug war has absolutely no moral basis and buckles under any logical assessment. If we're outlawing drugs based on danger and potential for abuse, we'd have legalized weed, ecstasy, and hallucinogens, and outlawed tobacco and alcohol.

Exactly! And then there are the legal prescription drugs that are commonly abused: sleep medications, codeine and other pain relievers, amphetamines...

Great. establish the death penalty like in MalAsia and Sling-a-poor.

"loophole drugs"

Tobacco and alcohol?

Who ever said If they circumvent current control laws, how can it be illegal to sell them? Yeah stupid you will change your mind when one of these idiots get behind a wheel and run over your family. The law should be like the military's "any drug used for recreational purpose is illegal"

can't wait for my next dentist appointment in Yokosuka so I can score some Vicodin.

Ryukyustriker... does that include alcohol and coffee?

But will restrict myself to asking why all the effort for this relatively harmless (i.e. no yaks, no crime, no addicts) end of the market when shabu and worse are freely available in Roppongi and Shinjuku?

Sorry, would you mind explaining here how dying could be considered "relatively harmless"?

In April, a 26-year-old man died after smoking a herb thathe bought at the store operated by Kayoko Kurata.

Tawnchan:

I would be very surprised if you could get opiates at all in this country.

I would be very surprised if you could get opiates at all in this country.

Be surprised......

Good news for law enforcement, better news for the citizens of Japan and great news for the youth that will not be addicts to this mess.

@Chooch... Yubaru stole the words from me. I don't know about illegally... but the Dentists on base hooks it up pretty good if you know them well enough.