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Who doesn\u2019t want to be a zombie that smokes?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Although Japan doesn\u2019t tend to have quite as prolific a drug culture as other countries, one does exist, and the newest part of it to make headlines has been \u201czombie cigarettes<\/strong>\u201d (literally \u201czombie tobacco\u201d in Japanese, but \u201ctobacco\u201d is often used to refer to cigarettes in the language).<\/p>\n That\u2019s the name the Japanese media and authorities tend to use for it, and other names include \u201czombie juice,\u201d \u201ckpods,\u201d \u201cspace oil,\u201d and \u201claughing gas,\u201d but the true name of the key substance is etomidate<\/strong>. This is an extremely fast-acting anesthetic that can knock patients out in a matter of seconds and is usually used in ER settings as a precursor for regular anesthetics, because etomidate is also very short-lasting, with patients waking back up in a matter of minutes.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also been adopted as a recreational drug, particularly in Southeast Asian areas like Hong Kong and Singapore. However, it\u2019s not a particularly pleasant drug, offering little in the way of euphoric feelings. It\u2019s mostly just knocks people out and can result in a loss of motor control and spasming, hence the \u201czombie\u201d nicknames. It recently made its way to the southern parts of Japan, especially the islands of Okinawa Prefecture.<\/strong> Last May, the Japanese government classified etomidate as a \u201cshite yakubutsu<\/em>\u201d or \u201cdesignated drug,\u201d making it explicitly illegal for recreational use and sale. Since then, there have been 18 arrests for etomidate possession in Japan.<\/p>\n In August, the first-ever arrest for etomidate possession in Tokyo was made when a 28-year-old was found with about 3.1 grams of it in vape liquid inside his parked car in Shibuya<\/strong>. The man admitted that he had been vaping etomidate since April and intended to use the amount that was found on him.<\/p>\n \u25bc News report on the arrest<\/p>\n