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Japan, famous for its technology and discipline, is today facing a strange and frightening crisis. A new type of e-cigarette is spreading rapidly among the youth there, after smoking which a person becomes a walking ‘zombie’. It has been named ‘zombie cigarette’.
This is no joke. It is a serious drug crisis that creates strange scenes on Japan’s streets and troubles the police.
But what is the end result of these ‘zombie cigarettes’?
This is no ordinary vape or e-cigarette. A very dangerous drug named etomidate is being mixed in its liquid. It is a powerful anesthetic, used to anesthetize patients during major surgeries abroad.
When someone inhales it through vape, he completely loses control over his body. He starts staggering, making strange movements and fainting – just like the zombies shown in Hollywood movies.
How dangerous is this medicine?
Not only does it lead to loss of control over the body, but its effects are extremely scary:
People start seeing and feeling strange things (hallucinations).
suddenly starts having seizures
The brain stops working. The biggest danger is that body parts may also stop functioning.
How were the criminals escaping the clutches of the law?
The most surprising thing is that this dangerous drug ‘Etomidete’ was not even illegal in Japan until May this year! Taking advantage of these legal loopholes, drug dealers spread it among the youth. By the time the government woke up, it had become a big problem. Now the police is taking strict action, but the criminals are two steps ahead of the law.
How does this dangerous drug network work?
This is not a small task, there is a whole international racket behind it, whose strings are connected to many countries:
China and Taiwan: The mafia gangs there supply it.
Vietnam: A big center for making it is in Vietnam.
Japan’s Yakuza: Japan’s own mafia ‘Yakuza’ is also involved in this.
Their method of smuggling is also filmy. These people exchange goods from one ship to another in the middle of the sea, so that even if the police comes, they can throw all the goods in the water and run away.
They are selling it through social media and encrypted messaging apps, making it even more difficult to catch them. The price of a ‘zombie cigarette’ in Okinawa city is said to be around 20,000 yen (about Rs 11,000).
Is it more dangerous than the fentanyl available in the US?
Experts fear that this crisis could be even bigger than the fentanyl crisis in America. Fentanyl is a drug that is 50 times more dangerous than heroin. Authorities are concerned that criminals could mix fentanyl and etomidate into ‘zombie cigarettes’, creating a deadly mixture.
Earlier this problem was limited to Okinawa city, but now it has started spreading all over Japan. In an effort to stop this ‘zombie’ epidemic, the government and police are now increasing their surveillance on ports and social media.