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Corps just says no to 9 substances in Japan

What do absinthe, morning glory tea and stinkweed have in common?

They are among the nine legally obtained substances recently deemed off-limits to Marine personnel in Japan. The order, issued Sept. 10 by Marine Corps Bases Japan, prohibits the use, possession, distribution and sale of all substances that produce “a psychotropic ‘high’ when ingested or smoked.” The list includes:

• Salvia A., a leaf found in Mexico that causes euphoria and hallucinations lasting from 5 to 15 minutes.

• Mitragyna speciosa korth, a leaf that acts as an opiate, similar to codeine.

• Spice gold, a powder that when smoked produces effects similar to marijuana.

• Blue lotus, a flower found along the Nile River that acts as a mild stimulant and hallucinogen.

• Morning glory, a seed found in Hawaii that causes mild hallucinations and muscle tensioning.

• Amanitas mushrooms, a red-and-white spotted mushroom causing auditory and visual hallucinations.

• Datura, a flower bud that can cause intense false sensory perception lasting several days and has resulted in numerous overdoses and deaths.

• Absinthe, a liquor containing wormwood that is said to cause mild hallucinations.

• 5-Meo-DMT, also known as “doing toad,” a powerful psychedelic that does not produce hallucinations.

The order applies to Marines serving in Japan, their dependents and all Marine Status of Forces Agreement personnel. Officials cited “a disturbing trend of substance abuse” that has surfaced among Americans stationed there, but they declined to elaborate.

“Even one case of a Marine or sailor abusing the substances covered under this order is one too many,” said Lt. Col. Douglas Powell, spokesman for III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan. “It’s an appropriate measure toward ensuring the health, welfare and readiness of our Marines and sailors.”

According to the order, violations will result in administrative action. For civilians, it may result in loss of command sponsorship or disbarment from Marine Corps Bases Japan.

Some substances that have been illegal in the U.S. have not been illegal in Japan. For example, opium is legal when mixed in cough syrup, and Psilocybin mushrooms were legal there until 2002. Absinthe, which only last year was legalized in the U.S. after a decades-long ban, can be consumed in most Japanese bars.

Some drinks have been rumored to contain absinthe, but it is not always true. When in doubt, stick to bottled beverages.