A drug called “zombie cigarettes” is spreading throughout Japan, which makes your hands and feet twitch and unconscious. Originally, it is a sedative used to induce endoscopy or anesthesia abroad, but excessive consumption caused serious health problems, and the Japanese government banned use, import, possession, and sale for other purposes than medical purposes from May this year.
According to the TV Asahi and Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 11th, Japanese police arrested a Japanese man on the 10th after detecting 2kg of Etomidate smuggled from Thailand by international courier service. The volume amounts to about 20 million yen, the largest ever crackdown in Japan
A Tokyo customs official suspicious of the contents of the package found a bottle containing ethomidate liquid during an inspection, and the delivery destination was the home of the arrested suspect.
The investigation confirmed that the suspect was closely related to the gang. A police official said, “The possibility of systematic smuggling involving gangs and other organizations has been raised.”
Etomidate was developed as an antifungal agent in Europe in the 1960s, but since then, it has been confirmed to have a sleep-inducing effect and is used as a sedative or an anesthetic inducer during endoscopy. It is not approved in Japan and is legally prohibited for use outside of medical purposes.
The first signs of the spread appeared in Okinawa Prefecture. Earlier this year, more young people inhaled e-cigarette liquid, calling it “laughing gas anesthesia.”
According to the National Police Agency, there have been a total of 16 cases of crackdown in the country since the enforcement of regulations in May until the end of October, with Okinawa having the highest number of cases with 10. Three cases of Mie, two cases of Oita, and a man in his 20s were also arrested last month for possession in Tokyo.
In an interview with TV Asahi, a group of young people in their 20s who met in Shibuya, Tokyo, said, “I heard that it was sold in a parking lot or something. If you look it up on SNS, it comes out,” and added, “My friend was also recommended.”
There was no related counseling last year, but family counseling has been going on since April this year, the Okinawa-based drug dependence recovery support group said. “There are many cases where consciousness is blurred and behavior is different from usual after inhalation.”
Experts warn that etomidate can cause respiratory depression, decreased circulatory function, and impaired consciousness, which can be life-threatening. However, one of the reasons for the spread is that it is easy to use as it can be easily purchased through SNS. The man arrested by police for possession said, “I bought it at 15,000 yen per bottle on SNS.”
Illegal circulation of etomidate is also being confirmed around the world. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are also cases of circulation in the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and in 2024, Thai investigators discovered a warehouse believed to be a smuggling base in Bangkok.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that criminal organizations have turned to etomidate as crackdowns on other drugs such as cocaine and stimulants have been strengthened, and that illegal use of etomidate has spread in Korea after other sedative propofol abuse issues emerged and regulations were strengthened.
The Japanese National Police Agency said, “We will strengthen crackdowns on illegal distribution channels, such as blocking imports, to prevent the spread.”
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
