Police said Wednesday that a man arrested in Osaka over a series of six hit-and-run incidents that took place last Sunday has admitted that he was high after smoking legal herbs.
According to police, the suspect, 22-year-old painter Takeshi Koizumi, was formally charged Tuesday with negligent driving resulting in injury. Koizumi, accompanied by a family member, had turned himself in on Monday night, Fuji TV reported.
Police said that Koizumi, who rented a car on Saturday night, is accused of six hit-and-run incidents while driving at least three wards in Osaka between 10:20 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Among the victims was a 78-year-old woman who was struck in a Shinbashi shopping arcade and sustained a broken right leg, Fuji TV reported.
Koizumi is also accused of colliding with a sign in the same shopping arcade, which then struck an 82-year-old woman, causing minor injuries, before going on to clip four stationary vehicles.
Following his arrest, Koizumi was quoted by police as saying that he had no memory of hitting anyone. He said that he had been smoking legal herbs and that he wasn't of sound mind. "I thought someone was following me," he was quoted as saying, according to Fuji.
© Japan Today
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Braindead
Police: Are you on something? Koizumi: "Well I blew some legal herb but I'm not as think as you stoned I am."
iceshoecream
Hope they screw him really bad for being such a moron.
ManBearPig
Probably never would have happened on the illegal herb.
Then again, I bet this guy is just a complete idiot who should not held up as an example of what happens when most of us toke. If we based laws on what happens when idiots make a move, we would be banning alcohol and even cars too.
DentShop
Less to do with legal herbs (marjoram or oregano?) than the fact he is another mental-case, man-child, lack of self-respect and self-responsibility clowns on Japanese roads.
Disillusioned
These synthetic drugs 'might' be ok for someone of sound mind, but this nut already had a few screws loose. And, you can bet your bollocks they won't be legal in JP for much longer.
jessebaybay
He thought someone was following him? Looks as though you get paranoid of the legal stuff as well as the real deal. I didn't think that would be the case. I thought the legal stuff would probably just relax you. But it sounds like this guy was "tripping balls".
Or perhaps it was one of his first times smoking it? I know that first time users of any herb of substance usually undergo a placebo like effect upon them self's. Much like getting really drunk for the first time. You tend to exaggerate your drunkenness, if that makes sense.
If i were him i would be very scared right now. Hes very lucky no one died.
Guza!
he sure has an thing for old ladies lol, or maybe thats all the herbs doing
inverse
Agree completely, ManBearPig.
HesKun
that legal herb is sketchy as hell. Don't try it. I've seen lotsa people smoke it and get totally messed up. I was offered too a couple of times, but I prefer the real thing.The irony is that if he would have smoke some real ganja, this probably would have never happened. A plant indigenous to Japan, and used for all kinds of things over centuries. Ever noticed the heritage is still all over Japan, there's a lot of names and places with the 麻 kanji 麻(P); 苧 【あさ(麻)(P); お(ok)】 (n) (1) cannabis (Cannabis sativa); hemp (plant); (2) hemp (fiber); linen; flax; jute;。But the Americans said it was bad so after WWII it was gone. Mods: sorry for the small off topic, but these are fact a lot of people don't know.
Frungy
There are lots of loopholes in Japanese law about natural substances. Up until about 5 or so years ago magic mushrooms (fungi containing psilocybin) were naturally occuring and legal in Japan. There are lots of "natural herbs" still in Japan that could severly impair someone's ability to drive.
Yes, this guy is probably abnormal, but anyone who things they can smoke marijuana or a similar substance and still drive safely deserves to be locked up now, before they kill someone.
GenConsensus
Thank God it was the legal stuff! Who knows how high it would have been if it were the real stuff!! (Sarcasm and pun intended...)
Franchesca Miyara Yang
The truth hurts more than anything. It was the Americans indeed who made Marihuana "evil" therefore the Japanese bought into those lies and made it illegal. Now people are pretty desperate thus coming up with these atrocious man made garbage, worse than heroine, crack, etc. Japan is mimicking the U.S. when it comes to banning anything and everything that seem "malicious". I have long wondered how come Japan hasn't become a Bible-thumping Christian nation yet. LOL
LH10
love weed it's not bad for u!
Wolfpack
"No seventy-eight year old woman no cry...."
Amidalism
Anyone have a link to a Japanese article which says what he was smoking? These synthetic legal herbs make me laugh and I'm curious to know what exactly was in it.
Hôjô Sôun
Sorry, but this is exactly why marijuana is illegal. This is the toll marijuana exerts on a society.
Greapper1
yes, smoke and tar filling your lungs is extremely healthy!
*rolleyes
OMGhontoni
Pardon my ignorance but can someone just briefly explain what a "legal herb" actually is? I have visions of someone rolling up parsley or rosemary or something, but Im sure that cant be it?!
cactusJack
Legal herb is most likely synthetic marijuana . Very toxic stuff.
Mirai Hayashi
And.....where can one get these "legal herds" ...you know,,for scientific testing purposes :-)
Robert Dykes
you can find legal herbs in many head shops and sex shops in Osaka. Tokyo, Okinawa, etc. The first time I ever saw the stuff was actually in Osaka. I HIGHLY do NOT recommend the stuff. There is no regulation on the stuff, and their is many different chemical derivations of the chemical that gets you "high." A totally normal sane person can have serious cases of psychosis which is exactly what happened to this guy. This reaction is not uncommon. Across the globe there have been many cases where people smoke this stuff 100 times and it can be fine and the 101st time they see the devil and think people are after them. They can just get a bad batch or a batch that is too strong and they have a severe psychotic paranoid episode. You have heard that real stuff can make you paranoid. Well.. imagine that times about 1000.
WilliB
I doubt that he was really that "high" from these herbal concoctions to have no memory. It sounds like a stupid excuse for panicking. But if he was, that should be no excuse.
Disillusioned
Mirai Hayashi - You can get it in the nong shops of Roppongi, koenji and quite a few other places. And, of course, Rakuten.
Erik Lars
Why did he turn himself in if he doesn't remember anything that happened?
"Dude! You like hit a butcha people with that car you rented last night!" "Really? I don't remember doing that.. I guess I'll turn myself in to the police anyway."
Yeah, that's how it went.
nath
Odd, since there is no mention of marijuana in the article.
I could much easier say this is the toll cars exert on society and suggest they all be banned. Cars are mentioned in the article and herbs are totally not necessary to crash them and kill elementary school students, has we have seen many times recently. Why is marijuana the scapegoat? Convenience perhaps?
gyouza
Vending machines in Osaka sell it, and you can even order online with free delivery. The packs say do not inhale and as such is sold as a herb, which of course minors can buy too. Great, huh? How long before this canyon of a loophole can be closed?
gogogo
What a douche and the government is doing what to stop this?
Chinchan Zu
smoking herb is not an issue... hes just abnormal from the start
Alphaape
Cigarettes are legal herbs and smokers get a nicotine high too. So why do those who want to legalize marijuana still make smokers stand away from a building to conduct their legally sanctioned herbs?
Herve Nmn L'Eisa
Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle requires a clear mind. Influence of substances( drugs of many kinds including alcohol, pain releivers, large doses of caffeine, etc.) precludes driving. This is "common sense " which is painfully lacking.
WilliB
Herve Nmn L'Eisa:
Exactly. I don´t care if whatever he smoked was legal or not. If he was high, that in itself means he must not drive. This Japanese obsession with some drugs while allowing others to be sold in vending machines is silly.
lostrune2
Don't toke and drive!
darknuts
Tabacco give you a high. Does that mean one should not drive after smoking?
garomakaikishi
nonsense
FightingViking
I'm crazy enough as it is! NO WAY do I wish to make matters worse! I don't even like taking aspirine...
nath
Of course now, the Japanese Police will pressure the government to outlaw Legal Herb because one guy did something really stupid and would have probably done the same thing whether or not he was high!
FightingViking
I very much doubt it! I hope they do however, on the other hand, that just makes it more tempting...
Maitake
Hôjô Sôun
I have noticed many of your comments and many of them are laughable, leading me to believe you to either be a troll or that you just have a ridiculously warped view of reality. I would like to respect your comments, but unfortunately, due to their sheer absurdity, I fail to do so. Entertaining the possibility that you might not be a troll, you cannot compare marijuana in a negative sense to whatever this "legal herb" is, perhaps because you personally most likely do not actually know the true effects of either. One might say, however, that the effects of marijuana are far more predictable and therefore safer, than the more unknown effects of the "legal herb"... Neutrally Googling "Marijuana and Driving" and after having a read, the first two hits seem to prove your statement false.
http://norml.org/library/item/marijuana-and-driving-a-review-of-the-scientific-evidence
http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/misc/driving/driving.htm
Fadamor
The only thing you can definitely say about marijuana is that nobody who was high ever accomplished anything - at all. That, and it promotes petty theft (never let a stoned person near the snacks aisle of the local スーパー.)
WilliB
darknuts:
I don´t know what your "tabacco" consists of, but if that is the case for you, then you should absolutely not drive after smoking it. A no-brainer, really.
caffeinebuzz
*fatalities or reckless actions
darknuts
A 'high' is just an altered state of mind. It doesn't necessarily hallucinations or impaired judgment. I asked because I usually smoke before I drive. Especially at night. It increases my concentration and awareness and I think it makes me a safer driver.
T-Mack
When I was younger, I was an commercial painter, we used MEK ( methyl ethyl keytone) as a paint thinner. After one day painting a turkey farm grainery, we headed for our favorite bar, the white horse, and had two beers, and be so impaired that driving was out of the question. I used to sneak out back for my usual toke to inhance my experience. But my point being, from the fumes it did'nt take much of anything to go haywire and act a fool. My father and I would take turns to who would drive us home. I often had the job, as my father drove with one eye open and the ditch as a way to guide us home. I am wondering if this guy was using a strong paint thinner, then smoked some skull cap or some other south american herb, then lost his marbles and went on a devilish joy ride. Then after coming to his sober mind realized his actions and did the right thing. We all must learn from our mistakes. He's very lucky to be alive to make amends. There have been studies that show stoners tend to be safer drivers than alcoholics, or teenage texting. But stay off the paint fumes, as that can impair your driving just as well. Just a thought.
HesKun
how about almost all the great pop music in human history? Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, the 'golden era' of hiphop etc. etc. etc. you don't call that an accomplishment? Oh yeah, I got my Masters degree toking every day too.
caffeinebuzz
This is going to get an instant delete. For the love of God, moderators- you deleted two posts of mine about drugs: Alcohol and these not-yet-illegal drugs; where I was speculating that a media beat up might be demonising an unregulated industry that would seem to be accountable for far fewer deaths than all the alcohol breweries and people who can't handle their drink (or consume responsibly). How you can delete my contributions while you let other comments go about tobacco (which is addictive and deadly in the long run, but hardly mind-altering); is completely baffling to me. I'll reiterate for you: I was not condoning drug use- nor was I throwing out wild conspiracy theories which you seem to be more fond of...Maybe I should have stated that Tepco is behind this whole incident to draw attention away from their bubbling cooling ponds of impending doom? In any case I was just pointing out that these herbs are not illegal (as the case with alcohol), but the way both substances are viewed when an act of such destruction is carried out, warrants at least some questioning, no?