USFJ commander: Use of club drugs
an increasing problem for military
Stars and Stripes
TOKYO — Servicemembers using club drugs like ecstasy is the fastest rising problem
the military faces, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan said Friday.
In the last year, at least 10 Pacific-based servicemembers have been court-martialed
— or tried in Japanese court — in ecstasy-related cases, highlighting the
worldwide problem.
In 1999, the Air Force handled more than 580 drug-related cases — 176 of them were
ecstasy cases. Figures for the other services were unavailable.
During a breakfast meeting with local media Friday in Tokyo, Lt. Gen. Paul Hester said
USFJ is working hard to cut down on the number of drug cases.
Among those efforts:
- Training military working dogs to sniff out ecstasy. Some dogs have been able to detect
one gram of the drug in an open field from as far away as 60 feet, according to an Air
Force Web site.
- In January, the Pacific Air Forces began no-notice weekend drug testing, grabbing people
who come through front gate after 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.
Because ecstasy doesn’t show up in urine samples after 24 hours from use,
servicemembers could party Friday night, and by Monday morning, the ecstasy out of his
system, Hester said.
The general said keeping troops away from drugs is important because, "when I walk
up to an airplane, and [a servicemember] says the airplane is ready, the engines are going
to work … I want to believe him.
"I don’t want to believe he didn’t do his job because he’s on
drugs," he added.
But ecstasy isn’t the only club drug causing problems for the military, Hester
said. Hallucinogenic mushrooms, or magic mushrooms, also can be a problem. Troops can walk
out the front gate at Yokota and buy them at a local shop, he said.
"We have a number of kids [who decide to take] a trip on the wild side."
Jennifer Svan contributed to this report.
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