VLVL Drugs

[jbor]

DL "objected philosophically to all drugs" (101.10) but yet dropped a whole
lot of speed in her sex romp with Ralph in Tokyo (140.1-4).

And:

    ... Takeshi waited, reached for his Georgian silver snuff box,
    where the *shabu* were. (147.15-16)

*Shabu* = speed.

http://www.taima.org/en/speed.htm

Where did shabu come from? Amphetamines were first synthesized in 1887 in
Germany. In 1919 methamphetamine was first produced in Japan. During the
1940s the Japanese government distributed amphetamine pills to soldiers,
sailors and pilots as well as to arms factory workers, to mobilize all their
reserves for the war effort. Pilots routinely used the drug to remain awake
and alert for long periods on long distance bombing missions.

After 1945 large stocks of the drug from looted military supplies flooded
the market and no doubt some people used it to suppress the hunger during
the starvation period of those chaotic years. In 1952 the drug was made
illegal and instantly became a reliable source of cash for the yakuza gangs.
During the 1950s as many as 55,000 Japanese per year were arrested for
amphetamines. Because of this history, shabu is still associated with the
shame of the lost war by the older generation, which is why all illegal
drugs have become a taboo subject in otherwise fairly non-puritanical Japan.

best