Taiwanese visiting Japan should beware of consuming cannabinoid gummies following recent reports of numerous people in Tokyo falling ill after taking them, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned.
On Nov. 4, five people aged from their teens to their 50s fell ill after taking gummies containing hexahydrocannabihexol (HHCH) — a substance that mimics cannabis — sold to them by a man at a festival in western Tokyo, Japanese media reported.
In the first two weeks of this month, 11 others reported similar symptoms after consuming HHCH gummies at subway stations, parks and apartments, the Tokyo Fire Department said.
Photo: Screengrab from Japan’s CBC News’ YouTube channel
Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Keizo Takemi on Monday said his ministry plans to ban HHCH.
It would be designated a psychoactive drug and possessing, using or distributing the substance would soon be illegal, he said.
Fan Chen-kuo (范振國), secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, said in Taipei yesterday that Taiwan’s representative office in Tokyo had earlier this month received calls for help from Taiwanese living or traveling in Japan.
Family members of one of the individuals contacted the office after they were unable to get in touch with one of their adult children, who was later taken to hospital after consuming gummies, Fan said.
Gummies containing HHCH can easily be found in stores in Tokyo and Osaka, and online, Fan said, calling on people to stop consuming them due to the physical discomfort they can cause.
Fan said that HHCH could be banned in Japan as soon as Saturday next week.
Once it is listed as an illegal drug, Taiwanese caught buying, selling or consuming HHCH gummies would face legal consequences in Japan, he said.
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is considering banning all substances with a similar structure to HHCH, which can cause hallucinations and memory impairment, Japanese media have reported.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive compound of cannabis is banned in Japan and Taiwan.
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