Japanese Professor Arrested For Allegedly Teaching Students to Make MDMA

The unnamed 61-year-old Japanese pharmacology professor from Matsuyama University in western Japan reportedly had his students create MDMA, commonly referred to as ecstasy, in 2013, and another “designer drug” called 5F-QUPIC, also known as 5F-PB-22, last year, according to AFP. The latter is a cannabis-like drug that was banned in Japan in 2014.

While speaking with the investigators, the professor said that he was only aiming to further the “education” of pharmaceutical sciences students.

During the investigation, authorities were unable to find the allegedly produced ecstasy, and an official from the local health ministry said that it had “probably been discarded.”

MDMA, a synthetic drug commonly used in party settings, can give users a heightened sense of energy, empathy, and pleasure. It is also currently being studied in research trials as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).

According to the report, Japanese law requires researchers to possess a license issued by regional authorities to manufacture illegal narcotics for academic purposes.

If proven guilty and charged, the professor could face 10 years behind bars, the report noted.

Featured image via Flickr / Steve Jurvetson (CC BY 2.0)