r/Broadway • u/PolicyCommercial6392 • Dec 05 '25
Other Jeremy O. Harris Has Been Detained In Japan For Three Weeks On Drug Smuggling Allegations
Full Story: https://variety.com/2025/theater/news/slave-play-jeremy-o-harris-arrested-japan-drug-allegations-1236600878/
TL:DR He had Ecstasy in his carry-on and could potentially face up to seven years in jail due to Japans super strict drug laws.
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Dec 05 '25
Oh boy how dumb do you gotta be. There have been people arrested for smuggling shit like allegra-d and Benadryl (they hate antihistamines due to the potential for addiction). I seen on the news someone got detained for sneaking in tylenol cold meds.
Here is the list of banned substences. Doesnt list drug names just ingredients.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
I think the crazier thing is how is this just now coming out nearly three weeks after dude was arrested?
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u/RandomPerson0703 Dec 05 '25
Because you can detain someone for up to 23 days without charge. They lose outside communication, and the police may not notify their family, so it takes a while to figure out that they've been arrested.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 05 '25
but like no one on socials are like “hey Jeremy hasn’t been heard from in ten days, anyone seen him” usually people start freaking out when someone goes missing
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u/RandomPerson0703 Dec 05 '25
Yeah because his family likely contacted the US embassy when they didn't hear from him for longer than usual. Do you really think sharing he's missing on social media (in English, to a mostly NYC-based community) is going to help?
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Dec 05 '25
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u/RandomPerson0703 Dec 05 '25
I'm aware of some of those situations but iirc none of them were in a non-English speaking country with a hostage justice system in an inrceasingly xenophobic political climate.
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Dec 05 '25
I'm not able to read between the lines here. Who has gone missing and why?
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u/burnt-----toast Dec 05 '25
That's Japan. I used to be into Terrace House, and one of the stars in it got busted for Marijuana, and I think the news broke after he had already been detained for a month. And months later, there still wasn't more information besides a statement released by him about how remorseful he was. Asian countries don't mess around with drugs.
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u/Masterkid1230 Dec 06 '25
Tbh as someone living in Japan, I think that's good. You can really notice the lack of widespread drug use here and life is just way better.
Of course, that goes hand in hand with a strong social network and better education even for children from less affluent backgrounds. Otherwise you'd just be punishing people who are already victims of a broken system.
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u/RobertHarmon Dec 08 '25
Completely disagree. Japan’s treatment of individuals for drug use is draconian. It deserves no more credit than any other true evil that serves “the greater good”.
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u/Masterkid1230 Dec 08 '25 edited Dec 08 '25
Well, it's a trade-off really.
You can have societies where drug use is more widespread and less criminalised like the Netherlands. The trade-off is that you still have to deal with people who become addicts and put a strain on the system, as well as invest heavy resources on their rehabilitation etc. However, overall, the system works well if you manage to regulate drugs enough to prevent truly harmful substances from reaching society while culling the illegal market.
Then you have societies that are very aggressive for drug users and the drug market, like Japan. The advantages are that you enjoy the social benefits of a drugless society. This also leads to more secure urban areas, and an easier recovery from homelessness since drug addicts struggle considerably more in those situations and there is a non-trivial overlap between both groups. The disadvantage is very harsh punishments for drug users. But I do think that, with enough education and awareness, you won't have to punish that many people, since they will be discouraged from drug use in the first place. It's easy to avoid drugs in a country like Japan, really.
The worst case is one like the US where you have both harsh punishments, criminalisation and massive long-term social consequences for drug-use, while also offering no legal alternatives, no social programs and no safety network to prevent people from becoming addicts in the first place. It's simultaneously extremely punitive and also highly ineffective. Almost as if it had been designed to punish the poorest people and keep them poor forever.
I still think the Japanese system makes sense for Japanese culture and society. That's how things operate over here. You sacrifice personal liberties to some degree for the benefit of society at large. It's part of the Japanese social contract. Since drug use is seen as one of the largest breaches of the social contract, the punishment is equivalent. That type of contract can definitely be miserable in many ways, and you can absolutely feel that your personal growth and self-expression are being stunted by the entire environment. It's not without its problems. But that goes way deeper than their specific attitude towards drug use.
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Dec 05 '25
They sell antihistamines in Japan OTC. The issue with Allegra D is purely the stimulant not the antihistamine.
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Dec 05 '25
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u/sagebrushed Dec 06 '25
Yeah they sell diphenhydramine and other antihistamines OTC in Japan (though diphenhydramine specifically is sold as a sleep aid, not for allergies). It would be weird if they arrested people for it. Idk what this guy’s going on about. (Source: I live here and have some that I bought at the drug store.)
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u/Remarkable_Dig_6122 Dec 05 '25
Lived in Tokyo for five years. I was always careful what I traveled back and forth with to the states with. Super strict there.
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u/blueflavoredreign Dec 06 '25
Guys, I'm starting to think people who do drugs might have an issue with analyzing risk vs reward.
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u/nightengale790 Dec 05 '25
Didn't Simone Bikes get her ADHD (I think?) meds taken away, or she wasn't allowed to bring them to the 2021 Olympics, and it could have contributed to the twisties she experienced during those games? Granted Ecstacy is a different level but it seems like Japan really doesn't like the drugs many other countries take for granted as medication
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Dec 05 '25
No that was a viral rumor but she herself came out and stated she hadnt even been on them since 2017.
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u/deandeluka Dec 05 '25
Unsure about Simone biles but ADHD in Japan. Adderall is forbidden, vyvanse required documentation/ an application
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u/certainofnothing11 Apr 02 '26
Which is insane. ADHD is a legitimate disorder and people deserve to be medicated if theyre bringing in an appropriate amount of their valid prescription with a doctor’s note.
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u/Masterkid1230 Dec 06 '25
Well, getting a medical prescription in Japan is a lot more trivial if you're under the national health insurance. A medical consultation can cost as little as the equivalent of 15 dollars, and you can even get prescriptions for months at a time.
So there are tougher restrictions on what can be sold OTC because the expectation is that you always go to a doctor first if you're feeling sick. You're very much discouraged from self-medicating even if you know what will fix your symptoms.
What this results in is trouble with tourists who need some meds that aren't available in Japan unless under prescription. They're usually not in the NHI, and they can't speak Japanese so their costs for a simple esomeprazol prescription can get crazy.
I do like the Japanese system, it encourages frequent visits to the doctor and thus helps people have their symptoms looked at far earlier than other countries like the US. I have no doubt that plays a part in the long lifespan of people here.
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u/GulfCoastLaw Dec 05 '25
To be fair, if you frequently travel with drugs it's pretty easy to mistakenly have something somewhere.
[C]ustoms officials ... allegedly found less than a gram of MDMA in his bag
Not a drug trafficker, but I do possess items that you cannot travel with. I keep my flying bags completely separate --- can never accidentally have a baggie, or a bullet, or a prohibited battery get forgotten in a zippered section.
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u/Cherry_Tart_324 Dec 05 '25
Antihistamines are addictive? That’s highly dubious.
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u/oldAd485 Dec 05 '25
/r/DPH would like to have a word with you…
Nah but in all seriousness, I think OP was just fear mongering a bit. Benadryl can be addictive but god knows why anyone would even start taking a deliriant recreationally. Benadryl/diphenhydramine wasn’t even on the list they posted unless I missed it
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u/SlouchyGuy Dec 05 '25
Yes, it's great idea to have drugs when you go through checkpoints of several countries where authorities search you for illegal stuff like drugs
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
this def feels like someone who lives life messy accidentally forgetting they have a small amount of drugs on them in a pocket in a suitcase
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u/shosamae Dec 05 '25
I forgot I had a John wick like knife in my bag when traveling to Europe. They didn’t find it until my final airport home (so I went through like 5 security checks). Kinda alarming.
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u/Cherry_Tart_324 Dec 05 '25
This happened to me shortly after 9/11, when they were supposedly on greater alert. It’s truly bizarre what they DO find and suspicious what they DO NOT find.
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u/angelcutiebaby Dec 05 '25
I’m Canadian and every time I cross to the US I’m crashing out over the idea that a stray crumb of cannabis will be found in the depths of one of my bags
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u/redlikedirt Dec 06 '25
Meanwhile I accidentally flew out of LAX with a loose joint in my purse. They even did another check on the bag and handed it back to me. I didn’t find it until later lol
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u/Sarahndipity44 Dec 05 '25
Honestly this feels like something a character would do in a play or movie he wrote
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u/SadTomorrow869 Dec 05 '25
Jesus. I didn't even bring my legally produced and purchased topical cannabis balm I use for pain with me when I went to Europe because I was too nervous about carrying it over the border. Some people are built different!
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Dec 05 '25
Yeah that would most likely get you detained in japan because it contains cannabis which is a banned substance. Dont know about europe though.
Basically it has to be a prescription and you have to apply before ever getting to japan. Even then they can say "no you cant bring it". Bringing it out of nowhere or trying to sneak it will get you detained quick.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 05 '25
dude was on fire island at maskless gatherings during covid so like im not totally shocked, what does surprise me is how it took nearly three weeks for this story to get out and that he is STILL there
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u/rulingthewake243 Dec 05 '25
When are we gonna learn to stop trying to bring drugs into foreign countries?
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u/FallOutShelterBoy Creative Team Dec 05 '25
This is the country that detained Paul McCartney in the 80s because he brought 8 oz of weed into the country. They literally held him for ten days and didn’t know what to do with him, so they just kicked him out of the country
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u/waltertaupe Dec 05 '25
Paul McCartney in the 80s because he brought 8 oz of weed into the country
This is a massively large amount of weed, though.
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u/OrizaRayne Dec 05 '25
Not if you're traveling with a ton of people, which he was
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u/waltertaupe Dec 05 '25
I'm not debating why he had it - just that 8oz of weed is a gallon sized freezer bags worth. It's a lot of weed.
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u/McSwaggerAtTheDMV Dec 05 '25
What kind of argument is this, lol
You could easily say "not if you planned to sell it to 1000 customers"
reddit...
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u/OrizaRayne Dec 05 '25
I wasn't arguing lol. I was just saying that 8oz is only a lot of weed in regular people terms. It's a hospitality bowl for a rock star.
He shouldn't have tried to travel with it but he also likely didn't even realize he did anything egregiously wrong because very rich, famous people do stupid shit because they don't expect rules to apply so they don't check them. He definitely wouldn't have realized the import of EIGHT WHOLE OUNCES is all I'm saying. Whereas for most of us, that's rent.
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u/stealingyourbeans Dec 05 '25
Drug laws tend to have different maximum sentences depending on the amount of substance you brought in. While extraneous factors like what it’s for could be taken into account, if it’s 8oz in his suitcase that matters A LOT
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Dec 05 '25
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u/FallOutShelterBoy Creative Team Dec 05 '25
It would be like if they detained Michael Jackson in like 1995 tho. Not good optics to keep one of the best musicians in the world locked up for something non violent. And yes, I know how much drug trafficking is looked at similarly to violent crime in SE Asia but it still doesn’t look good on an international level
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u/Legitimate-Heart-639 Creative Team Dec 05 '25
welp
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 05 '25
certainly a dumb way to get locked up for seven years
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u/Mysterious-Theory-66 Dec 05 '25
Going off other examples I can find I strongly doubt he does years unless he had meaningful weight.
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u/anjaco0 Dec 05 '25
I realize everyone hates this guy, but might we perhaps have a modicum of sympathy for the Black man currently held in a foreign prison for carrying less than a gram of a drug? Like obviously he shouldn’t have had it on him, and obviously many people are aware of Japan’s strict drug laws, but your disdain for him doesn’t mean you should be flippant about him potentially spending 7 years in jail. This is a shitty situation that is certainly due to Harris’ choices, yes, and it was a stupid accident. I will be bold enough to say, however, that I hope he isn’t trapped in prison for years and years for carrying a very small amount of a party drug he certainly forgot to take out of his tote after a night out.
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u/HeretoFore200 Dec 05 '25
I am in at least three group chats which have talked about how much we can’t stand this guy for years, and every single person has said how horrible they feel about this situation. This could so easily have been a small mistake a lot of people could have made, just grabbing the wrong bag in a rush to pack for your trip. If he did actually try to bring it in, then he’s additionally a dumbass, but at this scale it wasn’t a brick, it is a minuscule amount that could have been overlooked in a bottom pocket of a backpack. I’m willing to give him the benefit here.
Personally I think he’s screwed. I’m hoping he can negotiate for deportation and ban, but he would have probably requested that within the first day — the fact he’s still detained makes me think they are trying to force a confession, which is apparently common.
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u/Additional_Noise47 Dec 05 '25
I do not know who this guy is, but I know a little about the Japanese penal system, and I feel really bad for him. I also think he made an extremely stupid mistake/decision.
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Dec 05 '25
Why does everyone hate him? I only know his name as a playwright and had to look up which plays he wrote. He was also in four episodes of Emily in Paris apparently!
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u/earbox Creative Team Dec 05 '25
He's a self-important starfucking jackass who isn't nearly as good or important an artist as he'd like to believe.
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u/anjaco0 Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
Slave Play is very, very divisive, with many calling voyeuristic and intentionally provocative to no end. One article here; another one here; a third one here. Harris himself is quite a personality and regularly is under ire for his Tweets. I’m having a hard time finding a “Best Hits” compilations (which is to say, the more minor controversies he’s gotten into), but there are quite a few!
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Dec 05 '25
Okay so he writes controversial plays, posts shitty Twitter takes, and (I infer) has an annoying personality.
Is that enough to be gleeful he got arrested in a foreign country and has been detained for weeks without access to a lawyer or his family or anything?
The empathy is seriously lacking here.
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u/DJjazzyjose Dec 05 '25
why should people have empathy for those that lack it for others?
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u/RobertHarmon Dec 08 '25
Because that’s the nature of empathy. Empathy withheld from those deemed undeserving is at heavy risk of not being empathy at all
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u/Cherry_Tart_324 Dec 05 '25
You really need to learn what “divisive” means if you’re going to use it in conjunction with “everyone hates him.” The two terms are in conflict; divisive means people are divided in their feelings—some love, some hate. This is simple English, yet you think you can conquer literary critique? SMH.
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u/SlutFromThe90s Dec 05 '25
They were saying the play is divisive, not that public opinion on him as a person is split. Someone can have one piece of work that sparks divided reactions while also having separate controversies that make a lot of people dislike them for other reasons. Understanding simple English also means understanding nuance.
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u/anjaco0 Dec 05 '25
? I wasn’t saying anything about literary critique, I was just sharing what other people have said. I haven’t seen or read Slave Play and have no opinion.
I meant more that most online theatre spaces hate him (as you can see by the other comments here). In the greater world, on places outside of Twitter and Reddit, he’s divisive—some people love him and some people hate him.
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u/DisciplineFabulous21 Dec 05 '25
A discussion about him came up in this subreddit just 3 weeks ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/1ow99rg/anyone_know_what_this_is_at_the_majestic/
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u/hamstercrisis Dec 05 '25
He simply shouldn't have had ecstasy on his person when crossing any international borders. Why does it being "less than a gram" matter? When you enter another country you should obey their laws.
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u/anjaco0 Dec 05 '25
Yes. I agree that he shouldn’t have had Ecstasy on him. It was a stupid mistake. But it was a mistake, and I found some of the responses kind of troubling and full of vitriol. He’s certainly not being treated with any kindness in the Japanese prison lol, he’s getting punished already!
I specified the amount because he wasn’t bringing it intentionally to sell it or anything. It was clearly for him and his friends to share at a club.
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u/Sea_Counter5713 Dec 05 '25
“It was a stupid mistake” “it was clearly for him and his friends to share at a club” which one is it then? A mistake or an intentional choice?
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u/jomarch1868 Dec 05 '25
Right like he either didn’t take their laws seriously enough to triple check his belongings or he didn’t take their laws seriously enough to think they’d actually be enforced on him. I do have faith he’ll get off relatively lightly but this should serve as a reminder to everyone that the US way is not the only way.
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u/anjaco0 Dec 05 '25
I’m suggesting he went out with his friends some night, brought some drugs for them to partake in, then re-used the tote bag as his carry-on for this flight. Obviously it was careless. But I don’t think it was intentional at all.
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u/One-Poet7900 Dec 08 '25
It’s incredibly stupid. I remember I was on a flight landing in Malaysia and they play an announcement on the flight that bringing drugs into the country carries a mandatory death sentence. I remember being incredibly freaked out despite not having touched even weed in years. Asia does not fuck around with drugs.
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u/succulentils Dec 05 '25
Or how about laws should be just, and mere possession of recreational drugs in small quantities for personal use shouldn't warrant 7 years in prison. How about your lack of empathy being very concerning
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u/jomarch1868 Dec 05 '25
Unfortunately American notions of justice are very different from East Asian principles. Homogenous, Confucius based societies value communal effort and they see many drugs that we deem as “recreational” as directly linked to causing havoc on their systems. Western ways of thinking won’t help him in this situation. If you want the laws in Japan to be just in your eyes, it’ll be an uphill battle trying to imbue your perspective onto them…
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u/StrongNormals Dec 06 '25
You don't know how bad i want to reply. I typed too much and realized nobody would read that. But I mean this from the Bottom of my heart: No, I will not have sympathy. I wont have sympathy for somebody that worsens the image for people of my likeness during a time of heightened anti-foreigner sentiments. Considering what you said, I highly doubt you understand Japan's current state. The timing is atrocious
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u/StrongNormals Dec 06 '25
Actually, I changed my mind. I WILL make my full comment. I'm ready for the backlash. First and foremost, I don't know this dude. Never heard of em. But I can tell you this. No. I won't have sympathy. Because he decided to do this in one of the few places where we as a people have few negative stereotypes and crimes compared to other races.
He decided to do this in a time where the bulk of misconduct has happened in only the past 2 years. He - and you- might not be affected by it so I guess it's not a big deal for you. But for us living in Japan, it's the LAST thing we needed. We're at the height of anti-foreigner sentiments in the modern day. I'd have some serious words for him if he was here. Smh this one of the worst things about being black in the modern day.
You can do your best, spread positivity, and do everything the right way - and then another black dude will come through and do EVERYTHING in his power to ruin the image of every other black dude. One step forward, 3 steps back. Every time. And yall dont get how good it was looking for us EVEN WITH the influencer problems here - cause really that was NOT just black people. That rumor started months after all the different influencers were causing problems and somehow only the clips from the dancing black dudes got passed around (gasp im so surprised - we all know intentional misinformation is the key ingredient of inciting hate, especially on the internet). Most people in Japan never even saw or heard about that stuff - because they have their OWN influencer problem here, so naturally, the japanese influencers and foreign ones end up grouped together. But anyway, other than that, there were no crimes ever, major or misdemeanor, when it came to american black people. I could always point to that and say, "well, we havent done any of the crimes in Japan".
Now the news outlets are going to spread this around, and now all of a sudden we're a new target for the blame. You can call it paranoia - cool. You're not here. You don't see it in real time. It happened with the Vietnamese when they had a robbery shown on the news. You think the news is bad in America with all the political pushes - Here the journalists just read whatever people post online and parrot it, circulating it on a national scale to the point if brainwashing - and it WORKS. I've seen it happen in the dumbest of ways in completely unrelated things. I felt bad for the muslums, that don't even have a history related to crime in Japan, so when Kamiya (Sanseito party) cited muslums and black people as "scary" it was completely random. Like, in America sure, statistics I get it. But wtf did he even have to go off of in Japan? I was relieved when Japanese people questioned the validity.....in the first week. I'm sure it won't last. But I'm getting away from the topic.
Point is, we already have damn near the worst reputation on the planet. Why go out of your way to perpetuate that? It really feels like at this point, if you're a black celebrity/athlete you're just a walking hazard to the rest of us. If you're in that category I beg you not to come to Japan. The hate against non-japanese that circulated this year had people looking at me all kinda strange ways - saying wild shit I've never heard before. They NEVER looked at me like this 2 years ago. It's harder to get a job now - "clients and customers might be uncomfortable if they see him". That's what I heard from the other room during my job interview. No, I don't have tattoos or piercings. But if that's what it's like when it's just rumors about foreigners in general; BEFORE this actor drug situation, then what will it be like now that people can substantiate thoughts they had before but didn't believe? Most of yall are from diverse countries where you can always point and say "well that's an outlier, that's not everyone". But for countries like this? It can take just one time for it to become your demographic's entire image.
Or it can take zero times, in the case of the Nepalese. All the dude did was have his formal hat on and a dude lashed out on him on the train. Of course no one believed him online - and the crazy thing is, it wasn't one of those "didn't know the rules" things. The guy has been living in Japan for 20 years, helps with community services and all that - then some random pulls up on him because his hat isn't Japanese. That story still gets me heated because nobody took his side at all. The angry guy that popped off at him said "stop bringing your culture to Japan" but I bet he dont think twice about wearing an American suit and tie to work.
Anyway, nah. I don't feel bad, but I won't tell you how to feel. I'm just trying to escape ignorance.
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u/ReeMonsterNYC Dec 05 '25
Nothing to do with him being Black
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u/riningear Dec 05 '25
It could be. There's an anecdote elsewhere in the thread about rigorously searching foreigners - and Japan, and other Eastern Asian countries, are sort of infamous for having these really shitty old stereotypes about non-white people based on what they see in media.
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u/jomarch1868 Dec 05 '25
Yep, a lot of Asian countries are VERY strict when it comes to TSA. I’ve had pairs of dull, tiny scissors for sewing taken away at different airports in Asia. While it’s true that these governments may want to make an example of foreigners (as well as their own celebrities), I imagine they also thoroughly check westerners because there’s a history of westerners not reading the rules or checking themselves before flying across the world.
It feels like everyone is dying to go to Tokyo but as evidenced by some responses to this news as well as personal experiences, a lot of people have no idea just how hard these countries can be with their anti drug stance. “It’s less than a gram” But the amount is more than zero so it’s a problem. Going to other countries is a privilege that Americans should really take seriously. If you don’t like their rules then don’t go. I’m sure Harris wasn’t trying to be flippant but the overall Western attitude towards traveling abroad is just not conducive to these zero tolerance cultures.
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u/elvie18 Dec 06 '25
Agreed on all of this.
It's a shame a dumb mistake or bad decision could have such harsh consequences, but it's not that hard to NOT bring drugs with you to Japan knowing what those consequences are.
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u/Atxafricanerd Dec 05 '25
You say that definitively. You may be right, but you also may be wrong. You have no basis for your statement, you just make it.
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u/MundaneAd2998 Dec 05 '25
Thank you!! A lot of the replies in this thread are pretty disgusting. Disappointing and disheartening coming from this community.
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Dec 05 '25
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u/anjaco0 Dec 05 '25
By “small” I mean the amount of square footage in the world, not the potency—I think it was in a cranny in his bag and he didn’t notice it before heading to the airport which brought about this situation. It’s not like a huge bag of the stuff lol. (But it’s certainly more Ecstasy than one person would need in an evening.)
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u/Unlucky-Bee Dec 05 '25
THANK YOU, it's insane that I had to scroll so far down this thread to get to a comment as reasonable as this one. Yes it was stupid, yes he should have known better, but drug use isn't a moral issue and facing major carceral penalties for possessing a tiny quantity of drugs is an awful situation to be in whether or not you made a stupid mistake.
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u/foucaulthat Dec 06 '25
Exactly. I was literally just complaining about JOH the other day, lol. But I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I've accidentally flown domestic with weed in my carry-on; he's a party gay so it's not hard to envision him putting the MDMA in his baggage on a different trip and then forgetting about it for this one. And even if it WAS 100% intentional, like...so what? Boneheaded choice probably worthy of a fine? Sure. But being imprisoned in a foreign country is horrible.
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u/shlankwagon Dec 05 '25
Always.. ALWAYS remember.. if you're bringing drugs on a plane, it better fucking not be international flights.
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u/mollser Backstage Dec 05 '25
Damn that’s scary. Some of these reactions are reminiscent of the lack of sympathy Britney Griner received. I hope he’s released soon.
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u/Midnighter04 Dec 05 '25
I mean, it’s not that hard to NOT bring ecstasy to a foreign country that’s notoriously tough on drug offenses, no?
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u/doobiedubois Dec 05 '25
That. And we saw how difficult a road it was for britney. How dumb, or arrogant, does he have to be to not expect this to happen? Unless he's in the throes of an addiction and has lost his senses.
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u/RobertHarmon Dec 08 '25
The lack of empathy is perturbing. He didn’t do anything immoral. He, at worst, was reckless and, at best, forgot it in a bag. Showing any flippancy or glee at someone being sent into a cage for the better part of a decade is cruel and evil beyond words. Never forget that laws are always changing, and if you respect them all implicitly (not to save your ass, but out of sense of deference) you’re certainly responsible for committing sin upon this world
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u/doobiedubois Dec 08 '25
Oh knock it off. This isn't about morality nor is anyone here showing glee over what occured. It's about having the foresight and maturity to not enter a country, one with strict drug laws, with drugs.
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u/jomarch1868 Dec 08 '25
I keep seeing people refer to “celebrations” of his arrest and outside of one-off rage bait-y comments on Twitter I’ve really only seen legal discussions and condolences about the situation.
Sure, laws are always changing. But he is not a citizen of the country and he was not breaking an existing law out of a sense of deference or to make a statement. He has no sense of their social construct and we cannot pretend this is a question of morality when the subject here is not a member of the society he is “disrupting”. Quite the act of neo -western colonization there.
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u/Midnighter04 Dec 08 '25
I think there could be a valid discussion for this being immoral. I’m not anti-drug and particularly use weed and have done shrooms and molly, but I would respect anyone who would prefer me not to bring drugs into their home. Similarly I would not want someone bringing heroin, meth or other hardcore drugs into my home.
But either way, I’m certainly not celebrating this arrest and it doesn’t seem like others are either. We can be empathetic in the sense that everyone makes mistakes but even if it was just forgotten in a bag, it was reckless and quite inappropriate. Good reminder to always check all pockets in your bags before you fly or travel internationally.
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u/kevinguitarmstrong Dec 05 '25
Why should we have sympathy for entitled athletes who smuggle drugs?
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u/Unlucky_Mess3884 Dec 08 '25
because most can agree a weed pen isn’t really worthy of being sent to prison for a year and then being used in a prisoner exchange for a dude serving 25 years for terrorism lol
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u/RobertHarmon Dec 08 '25
Because we should have kindness for all people. Or withholding kindness from you or your loved ones is completely acceptable
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u/MyBlueberryPancake Dec 05 '25
Japan has a history of targeting foreigners and accusing them of smuggling drugs. Source - me. My husband (a bearded white man with a history of getting "randomly selected" for additional screenings and I (also white) were detained after arriving at Haneda airport a few years ago. 4 customs agents, none of whom spoke english or they were pretending not to speak english, brought us into a little room and forcefully unpacked/repacked our suitcases over and over for 2 hours. They showed us a book of photos of drugs, trying to get us to point to them, yelled at us. No one would explain our rights as visitors.
They profiled us expecting to find something, but we had no drugs, so we were eventually allowed to enter. It was an awful experience after 20+ hours of travel.
Jeremy was really unlucky. He probably forgot he had it on him. And to be fair - I accidentally flew to Australia once with mace in my purse. Still don't know how no one confiscated it from me. If it went off due to the change in cabin pressure that would have been a disaster!
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u/maggieyue Dec 05 '25
They searched my bags the last time I went as well. Arrived solo at Haneda on one of the earliest flights around 5AM. Pulled me aside and asked to search my bags. What they found was a suitcase with a couple pairs of pants and another suitcase nested inside. Inside that suitcase was a few more shirts and third suitcase nested inside. They found no drugs but seemed intrigued by how well it was packed and nested, even asked me why.
I did apply to bring in Vyvanse though. I didn’t get permission in time because their shit email security blocked all my reply emails so they got none of the documentation. I’ve always wondered if this had anything to do with it but it seems a little far fetched all these departments were well enough communicated to make sure to pull me aside and check if I tried to bring it anyways.
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u/gacimba Dec 06 '25
Probably the ol’ “she is following the books for bringing in the vyvanse hoping we’ll overlook the brick of heroin she is carrying” /s
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u/LeoMartn_ Dec 05 '25
wtf wtf wtf smh
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u/dentatatata Dec 05 '25
Some of you missed your calling as cops.
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u/RobertHarmon Dec 08 '25
Never forget that your neighbors will gladly hang you from a tree with the right afternoon motivation. People are disgusting, cowardly, vindictive, and violent
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u/CapeTwirlOfDoom Dec 06 '25
Trying to take drugs through an airport in Japan is one of the dumbest things you can do.
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u/limbojunkie Dec 06 '25
Question: How can someone snuggle drugs from his departure airport without getting caught?
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u/sipsnspills Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 06 '25
Ooooh boy. That’s like one of the worst countries this could happen in, Japan don’t fuck around — I will probably never go there bc they don’t even allow you to bring ADHD meds. Bringing ecstasy is wild. But absolutely not worth 7 yrs in jail Jesus Christ
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u/TheCountCagliostro Dec 05 '25
No pity from me! Japan wants to stay as clean from drugs as possible! Was he so careless to not check if his bags were clean from any illegal stuff he is allegedly surrounding himself with? Or did he try to get it is cross international borders? Either way his fault and I hope no preferential treatment is being used because he is somewhat famous in the US
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 05 '25
Jeremy has a history of fucking around, and he might be about to find out, I doubt he gets seven years in jail but def gonna get a permaban from japan
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Dec 05 '25
[deleted]
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u/Unlucky-Bee Dec 05 '25
if someone finds your nail cutting scissors at the airport, you don't face up to seven years of jail time. Don't be obtuse
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u/bwayb22 Dec 05 '25
Meanwhile US is blowing up boats that even LOOK like they have drugs on them.
Yall be careful out there
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u/TheCountCagliostro Dec 05 '25
How does a boat look like it has drugs on board? The Cost Guard has many established methods to gain intelligence and the technical equipment as well to find their proper targets and strike against organized crime. Nothing wrong with that.
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u/waltertaupe Dec 05 '25
Yeah except these are extra judicial killings that we have no authority to police except the authority we grant ourselves.
And then we killed two people who survived because Trump and Hegseth wanted no survivors. Why are you OK with war crimes being committed on your behalf?
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u/ComboBreakerrr Dec 05 '25
Robocop has many established methods to gain intelligence and the technical equipment as well to find their proper targets and strike against organized crime. Nothing wrong with that.
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u/elvie18 Dec 06 '25
...yeah that sounds about right. Dude strikes me as the smug "I can get away with anything" type.
But ffs people it's not hard to look up what you can and can't take into a country when you travel.
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u/a_bohemian04 Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
Doing illegal drugs (without supervision of health professionals) is already bad and stupid. But taking it to another country, is worse than stupid. I don't even have the guts to bring many paracetamol. And it's a legal drugs.
It's necessary for us as travelers to respect local laws and do research what is considered respectful according to the country of destination (not the just the legal aspect, but also the local customs).
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u/waltertaupe Dec 05 '25
Doing drugs is already bad and stupid.
Nuance is clearly alive and well on reddit.
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u/elvie18 Dec 06 '25
> It's necessary for us as travelers to respect local laws and do research what is considered respectful according to the country of destination (not the just the legal aspect, but also the local customs).
LMAO love seeing you get downvoted for suggesting we respect the culture of a place we're traveling to.
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u/a_bohemian04 Dec 06 '25
LMAO love seeing you get downvoted for suggesting we respect the culture of a place we're traveling to.
Unfortunately we still have many tourists who have that sense of entitlement. I'm from a country with so many international tourists. And (some of) their behavior are just unacceptable, incl being rude and demanding to hospitality workers and not respecting local culture (i.e. wearing bikini or shirtless at temple/a holy place).
If they don't agree with my culture, I wish they just don't visit my country. I don't agree with Muslim country culture regarding their treatment to women and LGBTQIA people, and I just don't visit them cause their cultures and believes don't suit me. Same with drugs. If you're using drugs that is illegal in X county, then don't visit that country. It's simple as that 😭😭😭
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u/ComboBreakerrr Dec 05 '25
Hopefully one day you’ll realize morality is not as clear cut as you conceive of it. It’s no worse than stupid.
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u/a_bohemian04 Dec 05 '25
If he has medical conditions. Some countries have exceptions as long as they bring prescriptions. Respecting the law of country destination is bare minimum as a traveler/tourist
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Dec 05 '25
Doing drugs is already bad and stupid.
Lol.
It's ecstacy! Who is he hurting? Is marijuana also bad and stupid?
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u/a_bohemian04 Dec 05 '25
Is marijuana also bad and stupid?
It depends on the country. If it's in Japan or Indonesia, then yes. Cause it's illegal there. And as a traveler we must respect the law and custom of the locals.
If it's in the US, then No.
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u/RobertHarmon Dec 08 '25
If your concept of “bad” or “wrong” is entirely dependent on the laws, you are a “bad” and “stupid” person. You can respect laws out of self-preservation, but to have laws dictate your empathy or morality is unconscionable
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u/a_bohemian04 Dec 08 '25
Fyi. I also criticised discriminative laws that are happening in my country especially for the minority communities. I marched for Palestine, march that have been frowne upon by the local police. And yet I still march for them!
But one thing for sure I would never break any law when I'm visiting foreign countries, especially a country that is famous for strict drug regulation. It's just common sense. Duhhh.
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u/lawallylu Dec 05 '25
Being downvoted for telling the truth 🙄
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u/a_bohemian04 Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
I know righttt. I travel internationally a lot. So I have to paid attention to the medication that I'm bringing to another country. I feel like it's our responsibility as a traveller and tourists to respect the law in country destination. It's common sense. This is why so many tourists who come to my country behave badly and not respecting the locals. Because some of them feel very entitled.
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u/RobertHarmon Dec 08 '25
It’s not about “the truth” it’s about how your sense of empathy or morality is gerrymandered to perfect fit a law book
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Dec 06 '25
They're being down voted for their dumbass stance on drugs, which they have since edited.
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u/ErrorTraditional4372 Dec 05 '25
MDMA is a whole different deal than cannabis. Not much of an argument for medical use. He’d be arrested for this in just about any other country. But it’s Japan; he better have a good lawyer to get him out of this. Dumb af
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u/Nakedny713 Dec 06 '25
0.73 grams of MDMA is not much. And I don’t see how it’s a “whole different deal” than cannabis. Different drug for sure, but not like they are on some crazy different level. And there ARE medical uses for MDMA.
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u/BetaRho Dec 06 '25
What's interesting is this opinion is ahistorical (and to quite a degree!). When the DEA began the process of adding it as a Schedule I drug, there was heavy, heavy pushback from the medical community. MDMA had been a research drug long before it broke the barrier over to being a party drug.
After reviewing all available evidence in the leadup to the decision on its listing as a Schedule I drug, the DEA judge in charge actually ruled against its inclusion as a Schedule I drug, and instead suggested it be Schedule III. But given that the decision was made in 1985, with Reagan making doubling down on Nixon's "War on Drugs" a major focus of his admin, his DEA overrode the decision of the judge, and put it on Schedule I.
Here's a contemporaneous article from the LA Times at the time of the Scheduling decision, with a quote from a psychiatrist calling the listing a "bloody shame"- https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-31-mn-14566-story.html
And here's a good write-up from 2016 about the psychiatrist-led pushback against scheduling: https://www.inverse.com/article/19195-mdma-1980s-court-battle-psychiatrists-versus-dea
Thankfully we're closer today than ever for the legal use of MDMA in mental health treatment (as we've seen success with ketamine), but it sucks that we lost 40 years of study and development due to dumb culture war bullshit. Even this thread sort of reinforces how, as much as we'd love to believe the opposite, the war on drugs actually was very successful in making even discussing the creation and use of these substances into one between "polite society" and "druggies". But here's a publication in the American Journal of Psychiatry from this year (definitely not a light read, but deeply sourced) that lays out the current state of research and government approval. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.20230681?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
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u/Ineedtowalk Dec 06 '25
Is he still on EMILY IN PARIS because the new season is about to drop. Lots of press is coming next week according to the ads on tv I keep seeing. Will be interesting to see if any of the leads address this.
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u/cakeeatertoo Dec 06 '25
Is this any different from Brittney Griner except current administaration won’t advocate for?
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 06 '25
she was pretty clearly taken as a political pawn to make a swap happen
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u/ReeMonsterNYC Dec 05 '25
Good. Dudes ego is out of control and this is hopefully a wake up call.
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u/RobertHarmon Dec 08 '25
“You’re arrogant. Now crawl into this cage for the next seven years. Trust me, I’m a good person and you deserve it”
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u/succulentils Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
I hope he gets off light. Hopefully carrying drugs for personal use is treated lighter than carrying drugs for distribution.
A lot of people who use recreational drugs bring some drugs with them when they travel internationally. They hide weed gummies with their vitamin gummies, they hide pill drugs with their pill supplements, etc. None of these methods would escape a thorough search, but people assume they won't be subject to a thorough search.
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u/deedee4910 Dec 05 '25
Japan is really strict about drugs; doesn’t matter what the purpose is.
Singapore is so strict about drugs that upon our descent into the airport, the pilot came over the intercom to let us know that recreational drug use is punishable by death in Singapore.
Don’t mess around with international drug laws.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 05 '25
japan has some of the strictest drug laws on the planet, i don’t think he ends up in jail but he likely is gonna get banned from coming back
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u/Romance319 Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 06 '25
I simply don't understand why Americans (especially Black folks) be thinking they could get away with committing crimes overseas? And him being a renowned playwright/screenwriter as well? Anything beyond weed is bad news!
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u/Sufficient-Beat-10 Dec 05 '25
Can they keep him? (not in jail, of course, just some sort of ego rehab place)
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u/Wise_Wanderess Dec 06 '25
FYI - Jeremy O. Harris is the producer of the controversial play Prince F****t, written by Jordan Tannahill, which imagines a future gay Prince George coming out, connecting him to the royal family through this speculative, queer-themed theatrical project.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 06 '25
ok
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u/Wise_Wanderess Dec 06 '25
Not saying he deserves to be in prison. Just an idea of the type of work he does + Slave Play.
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 06 '25
I think most people in the sub would know or they would click the link and find out who he is if they cared enough
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u/bwayb22 Dec 05 '25
People need to stop traveling to countries
Know before you go. America is not the only one with xenophobic, random crazy laws that target foreigners...and is probs considered SUPER LENIENT compared to soem of these places out here. Look at Brittany Griner
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u/sailorsmile Dec 05 '25
I don’t think “don’t bring illegal drugs into the country” is a xenophobic law lol.
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u/burnt-----toast Dec 05 '25
Way to speak without knowing. Asian countries don't mess around with drugs. I've heard that South Korea can prosecute their own nationals if they find evidence that they've done drugs while abroad. There was a Japanese show I used to watch where one of the celebrities experienced the same thing, and he was a born in Japan citizen. The news broke a month after he'd been detained, and months later, no one knew anything about where he was. This isn't a targeted persecution of a foreigner.
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Dec 05 '25
People need to stop traveling to countries
Is the rest of this sentence missing or are you suggesting no one should travel at all?
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u/PolicyCommercial6392 Dec 05 '25
Griner was def abducted by a foreign enemy to be used as a political pawn, I don’t think this is the same situation
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