I frequently see news stories from the US about the drug Fentanyl being smuggled across the borders and trafficked. It seems to be a very big dangerous problem.
I don’t often see drug stories in Japan. Being an island country, it is more difficult to smuggle in, and I think the penalties for illegal drugs are quite high. I was interested when I saw the story below on Nippon.com:
Japan Police Take Action Against 17 Fentanyl Cases So Far
Tokyo, July 25 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police have so far taken action against 17 cases of violations involving fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid, in the country, the National Police Agency said Friday.
Fentanyl smuggling and trafficking have not been confirmed in Japan, the agency said.
Of the 17 cases reported between 2000 and 2024, 15 involved doctors and pharmacists stealing or abusing fentanyl for medical use. In the other two cases, patients and their family members abused it.
One case of death was reported. A patient killed a male partner through drug poisoning by putting fentanyl patches on him.
“Though fentanyl has not spread in Japan, we will continue to police any case strictly,” an NPA official said.
2 comments:
The rigorous customs inspections at airports and ports, the strict patrol of borders, and the difficulty in accessing much of the coast are some of the reasons drug smuggling is so low.
The various controlled activities of children and youth, like busy school schedules, plenty of homework, (compulsory) school club activities, cram schools and good home environments, as well as nutritious food, are factors so few of the youths use drugs. Then, when you become an adult, you have work and work and work and work to keep you off drugs.
I am very grateful for all these barriers that keep Japan (almost) free from drugs..
Killing someone with a fentanyl patch is quite devious and vile...I'm glad there are not a lot of cases like this in Japan!
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