TOKYO BANS 'LEGAL DRUG' PRODUCTS

The Tokyo metropolitan government's Public Health Bureau on Monday
ordered retailers in Minato Ward and Chiyoda Ward to halt sales of 10
products -- so-called "legal drugs" -- sold at adult-goods stores and
through the Internet, because they contain unlawful components.

The products, which range from leather cleaners, air fresheners and
video cleaners, have been advertised on the Internet and in magazines
as giving pleasurable highs if taken orally or inhaled. Sold at
anywhere between Y 1500 to Y 14,000, they are called "legal" because
the law does not forbid possession or use of the products.

But public health officials tested 35 products on the market as of
June and found that 10 contained unlawful substances.