Japan mulls outlawing sale, use of hallucinogenic ‘magic mushrooms’
By Carlos Bongioanni,
Okinawa bureau
Stars and Stripes file photo
A vendor deals hallucinogenic mushrooms in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on a Saturday afternoon.
He hands a 3,000 yen ($25) packet of magic mushroom stems to his first customer of the
day. |
Japan is considering banning the sale and use of “magic
mushrooms,” a move welcomed by U.S. military officials.
“It would definitely make it easier for us,” said one
official at Kadena Air Base, where an airman received a bad-conduct discharge Monday for
taking hallucinogenic mushrooms.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is considering adding the
mushrooms to items that are subject to the Narcotic Control Law, which would prohibit
possession and obtainment, Kyodo News agency said.
Though the mushrooms are legal to buy and ingest in Japan, they are
off limits to U.S. servicemembers, military family members and others who fall under the
Status of Forces Agreement.
U.S. narcotics laws list the drug as a Class-A controlled substance.
Buying, possessing and ingesting it is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military
Justice.
| Airman says he took drugs as a way out of Air
Force Stars and Stripes
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — An airman here who
received a bad-conduct discharge for taking “magic mushrooms” said he took them
because he is homosexual and wanted out of the Air Force.
At his court-martial Monday, Senior Airman Michael J.
Heylek, 25, pleaded guilty to wrongful use of a controlled substance. His punishment also
included 60 days’ confinement, reduction in rank to E-1 and forfeiture of all pay and
allowances.
Heylek said he wanted out of the Air Force because he
knew his lifestyle choices were incompatible with military service. He ingested
hallucinogenic mushrooms on three occasions during the last year in hopes of receiving an
administrative discharge.
Heylek, a six-year Air Force veteran, was a member of
Kadena’s 353rd Special Operations Maintenance Squadron. His illegal-drug use became
known when he told members of his unit he needed medical attention because he was
“tripping out.”
“I was just trying to move the process along and
get thrown out of the Air Force for drugs,” he said. |
The mushrooms are readily available throughout Japan in authorized
stores and through the Internet. Those who assume they are legal just because they’re
sold over the counter exercise bad judgment, military officials say.
Magic mushrooms contain psilocybin, an ingredient that can cause
hallucinations. It also can cause nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations and anxiety.
Opponents of the proposed ban are expressing their views on a
Japanese newspaper Internet site.
“I guess the fun Nazis decided everyone was having too good a
time,” wrote one person.
Another wrote, “It would be a pity if they’re banned. Might
be a good idea to stock up now. Won’t be long before the street prices rise, I’d
wager.”
Though Kadena officials would like to see a ban on the mushrooms,
they said they don’t think it will happen anytime soon. As one official said,
“It takes a long time to change the laws in the Japanese system.”
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