Toyota's Top Female Executive Arrested In Japan On Drug Charges

S.J.B.

S.J.B.

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Jan 22, 2011
Messages
6,924
Location
Canada
Toyota's Top Female Executive Arrested In Japan On Drug Charges
NPR
June 19th, 2015

Julie Hamp — Toyota Motor Corp.'s first senior female executive who was appointed head of public relations just weeks ago — has been arrested in Japan for allegedly importing the prescription painkiller oxycodone in violation of the country's narcotics laws.

A total of 57 pills were discovered by Japanese customs officials on June 11 inside a package that Hamp mailed to herself from Kentucky, declaring the contents to be a necklace, according to Japanese news reports.

Oxycodone is legal in the U.S. with a prescription.

The Asahi Shimbun writes: "When customs officials at Narita Airport checked an international parcel addressed to Julie Hamp, a 55-year-old American, they found pills, placed in bags, at the bottom of the parcel, Tokyo police said."

Hamp, who was arrested on Thursday, has denied the charges. A spokesman for Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department said she told authorities that she did not think she had imported an illegal substance.
Click to expand...

Read the full story here.
 
If she didn't think she was importing an illegal substance why would she claim painkillers were a necklace.

I think anyone should have legal access to adequate pain relief, but I see no reason to assume that is what she wanted these pills for. The article makes no mention of her being prescribed them, one would think if they were legally prescribed she would have tried to bring them in to Japan on the up and up, instead of trying to conceal them.

Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate the persecution of recreational drug users, but there is a pretty big difference between being arrested for trying to catch a buzz and being arrested for trying to alleviate suffering. At this point, I see no compelling reason to think it is more likely this woman falls into the latter category than the former.
 
I can't believe someone that rich couldn't get a legit script. But she is fucked now. Japan has some crazy drug laws. There prisons are also really not nice places from what I hear.
 
I put Westerners who have anything to do with drugs in east Asia in the same mental category as Westerners who have anything to do with alcohol in Saudi Arabia. Yeah, people do it, and many probably get away with it. But you're really taking your chances, because these countries send a clear and consistent message that users are not welcome, no matter who they are. If you get nailed, you can't really claim ignorance when they throw the book at you. So anyone who's got a lot to lose would be very, very wise to abstain.
 
drug_mentor said:
If she didn't think she was importing an illegal substance why would she claim painkillers were a necklace.

I think anyone should have legal access to adequate pain relief, but I see no reason to assume that is what she wanted these pills for. The article makes no mention of her being prescribed them, one would think if they were legally prescribed she would have tried to bring them in to Japan on the up and up, instead of trying to conceal them.

Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate the persecution of recreational drug users, but there is a pretty big difference between being arrested for trying to catch a buzz and being arrested for trying to alleviate suffering. At this point, I see no compelling reason to think it is more likely this woman falls into the latter category than the former.
Click to expand...

This!
 
'medicine cabinet' said:
So what do ppl get for pai. In Japan? Morphine? Or is there like no take away rx for paineds.
Click to expand...

I imagine they have pain killers there.

Couldn't she have simply been able to go to the doctor there to get them? I imagine she has good benefits thanks to her job.
 
drug_mentor said:
If she didn't think she was importing an illegal substance why would she claim painkillers were a necklace.

I think anyone should have legal access to adequate pain relief, but I see no reason to assume that is what she wanted these pills for. The article makes no mention of her being prescribed them, one would think if they were legally prescribed she would have tried to bring them in to Japan on the up and up, instead of trying to conceal them.

Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate the persecution of recreational drug users, but there is a pretty big difference between being arrested for trying to catch a buzz and being arrested for trying to alleviate suffering. At this point, I see no compelling reason to think it is more likely this woman falls into the latter category than the former.
Click to expand...

I always enjoy your comments, drug mentor, and I almost always agree with what you say, but this time I see things differently.
People often try to "catch a buzz" (= use drugs recreationally) at least partly in order to alleviate some suffering, such as mental/ emotional suffering.
The reason people use drugs is that the drugs make them feel good, or at least feel better.
If the woman in the article is trying to overcome (or even bury) her memories of abuse as a child, for example, or a recent divorce, who is the government to tell her that she has no right to do so and should be imprisoned?
While we can suggest counseling to her, in the end, people have to live according to the best means that they can find, and we need to respect her choices about what to put into her body (as I think you would agree).
So, maybe we can say that there is a scale of drug use from "(nearly?) completely recreational" to "purely focused on alleviating suffering" but I would hate to have to be the one to decide where any specific case fell on the scale. It has to come down to the individual's freedom, and respecting that freedom.
So, I hesitate to draw a sharp line between cases of recreational use and cases of alleviating suffering.

Peace.
Victor
 
LuGoJ said:
I imagine they have pain killers there.

Couldn't she have simply been able to go to the doctor there to get them? I imagine she has good benefits thanks to her job.
Click to expand...

If you require strong painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone, permission must be obtained from a regional bureau of the health ministry beforehand, no matter the quantity. This also applies to shipments by mail. Similar to the yakkan shoumei, an application and documents from a medical provider are required, and the request could be denied.
Click to expand...

Quote from the previous article I posted.
 
Sounds like she could be being set up. And assuming this is about adequete pain relief is ludachrist. Only reason someone would even think of doing that is addiction and the higher ups at Toyota know that. Lies I bet are everywhere around this story like a bad b movie.
 
slimvictor said:
I always enjoy your comments, drug mentor, and I almost always agree with what you say, but this time I see things differently.
People often try to "catch a buzz" (= use drugs recreationally) at least partly in order to alleviate some suffering, such as mental/ emotional suffering.
The reason people use drugs is that the drugs make them feel good, or at least feel better.
If the woman in the article is trying to overcome (or even bury) her memories of abuse as a child, for example, or a recent divorce, who is the government to tell her that she has no right to do so and should be imprisoned?
While we can suggest counseling to her, in the end, people have to live according to the best means that they can find, and we need to respect her choices about what to put into her body (as I think you would agree).
So, maybe we can say that there is a scale of drug use from "(nearly?) completely recreational" to "purely focused on alleviating suffering" but I would hate to have to be the one to decide where any specific case fell on the scale. It has to come down to the individual's freedom, and respecting that freedom.
So, I hesitate to draw a sharp line between cases of recreational use and cases of alleviating suffering.

Peace.
Victor
Click to expand...

You make some solid points, and I definitely agree with you that the difference between recreational and medical drug use is not black and white, but more along the lines of a continuum, for many people there are varying levels of influence from both sides which motivate their drug use.

Despite this, and despite my strong belief that nobody should be persecuted in any way because of their choice to use a substance, I still think there is a distinction to be made between someone who is getting fucked up to alleviate the kind of suffering that comes with a stressful day at work and someone who is taking a prescribed drug to alleviate the suffering caused by a chronic medical condition.

It is not that I think either of those two people should be arrested, fined, forced into treatment, or even had their drugs taken from them. It is just that I feel if law enforcement is going to intervene in both of these cases, a greater injustice has been done in the latter persons case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top