Japan on Speed - Japan

April 1996
Slumped on the floor is a young woman. Not so long ago she tried to throw herself under a car. Now she faces hours of captivity in a padded cell. Her problem is drug abuse. Restless multitudes in Japan are addicted to amphetamines which dates back to World War II when authorities supplied soldiers, factory workers and nurses with stimulants to stretch the nation's fighting capacity. Today the government is far from drug friendly. 'Speed' addicts are dealt with in two ways: they are either thrown into prison or into psychiatric hospitals. Tsuneo Kondo and Father Roy Assenheimer, reformed addicts have set up a refuge in a Tokyo back alley which has grown into a national self-help movement. The only rules are compulsory attendance at three daily meetings. But at the police drug enforcement division, Hiroto Yamazaki talks tough, "I do not care about rehabilitation because I see drug abusers as criminals." In prison, addicts receive an overdose of discipline, in hospital they are heavily sedated and charged with electric shocks. Not surprisingly, Kondo worries that "without support they will die."

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• psychiatric
• hospitals
• Japan
• Drugs
• Craze
• culture
• Journeyman
• Pictures
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
• journeyman
• journeyman pictures

[maosef]

ah journeyman, never bothering to sub the videos

[ThebirdmanTrainer]

It's not that stimulants that are a problem. It's stupid people. Drugs are dose and duration dependent. One can't drink 20 beers a day and expect  long term positive results. You can't protect stupid people from themselves.

[NewDivineWind]

Japanese invented meth...

[Drumrdude1973]

@blackiswhite1111 -

...one of the last of the Good Guys, you are.

Cheers,

~M

[blackiswhite1111]

@Drumrdude1973 Alright, I may have been a little harsh there, it's just that on the internet it's often difficult for people to find legitimate information when people state things they heard second hand as facts.

To answer your question, I don't think that there is anything wrong with drugs.

[Drumrdude1973]

@GothicWiccan13 -

Victims..?? Who..??

[Drumrdude1973]

@blackiswhite1111 -

Well... no... I didn't pull it out of my ass! Though I must admit that I too haven't had much luck substantiating that ol' Walt was a "junkee!" At this point I must admit that I cannot find any viable documention to support my initial claim that Walt Disney was indeed a heroin user....

Allow me to rephrase....... Drugs are wrong... why, exactly?

~M

[blackiswhite1111]

@Drumrdude1973 Did you actually read his autobiography yourself? Or did you just pull a fact out of your ass that you heard somewhere once?

[LoveHateBlame]

@Willnash666 yeah your right, we shouldnt critisize them for using MORE drugs and shock therapy on addicts..good point.

[Willnash666]

i love how people all over the world are commenting and criticizing the way Japan treats there drug problem... how about you clean up your one mess before commenting on someone else's. the number of drug users in Japan are lower then USA Canada and the UK Australia so stop telling them to do things your way cuz its not working for you!!!