The abuse of "Kiken
drugs," including synthetic cannabinoids, is a serious and growing social
problem in Japan. Kiken drugs is the general term for novel psychoactive
substances that have not been designated as illegal by Japanese law.
The aim of
this article is to describe the current status of the abuse of Kiken drugs by
youth in the nightlife areas of Tokyo. An anonymous field-based survey was
conducted using laptop computers at four dance parties in Tokyo, Japan. The
questionnaires were completed by 307 (44% female, mean age 30.9 years) young
adults at the dance parties.
Among the survey participants, 24.4% reported
Kiken drug use (herbs 22.8%, powders 7.2%, and liquids 3.3%) in their lifetime.
The primary reasons for Kiken drug use were peer pressure (37.3%), and avoiding
penalties for possession of illegal drugs under Japanese laws (28.0%). In
addition, 61.3% reported obtaining Kiken drugs from close friends.
Our results
clearly suggest that young adults at dance parties have a higher lifetime
prevalence of Kiken drug use than the Japanese general population (0.4%
reported in 2013). As the social stigma associated with drug use is extremely
high in Japan, avoiding illegal drugs prohibited by law by using easily
available Kiken drugs may be more socially acceptable among youth in the
nightlife areas.
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