Police in Kyoto are warning young people not to respond to messages on social media that use slang and emoji ¡ª such as ¡°broccoli¡± ¡ª to refer to marijuana and other illegal drugs.

The prefectural police are calling on people not to respond to such posts, which sometimes use hashtags in Japanese meaning ¡°ice cream¡± or ¡°vegetable,¡± as it will reveal the person¡¯s identity to drug dealers and criminal organizations.

According to the police, vegetables are often used to refer to marijuana, with the drug depicted using a broccoli emoji, while ¡±chari,¡± which means ¡°bicycle¡± in Japanese, is code for cocaine, deriving from the substance¡¯s slang name ¡°charlie¡± overseas.

Marijuana is also described as ¡°grass,¡± ¡°chocolate¡± and ¡°420,¡± while for other drugs initials such as ¡°S¡± or ¡°C¡± are used.

In? a message, the police warned that the use of marijuana has a serious effect in particular on junior and high school students, as it may result not only in addiction but also in mental issues and problems with the development of brain functions, possibly lowering IQ.

Officers are particularly concerned that the growing use of marijuana among minors could potentially lead to them taking stronger drugs such as methamphetamine.

They said that the veiled language and emoji are meant to make drugs seem more accessible to younger people as well as help the messages escape police attention.

In 2021, Kyoto police took action over 108 cases of suspected possession or cultivation of marijuana involving people between the ages of 10 and 29, up from 72 in 2017.

The prefectural police¡¯s data show that last year alone, as many as 35 minors were sent to the local prosecutors¡¯ office for alleged violations of the Cannabis Control Law.

¡°I would like parents to be aware of these slang words so they can keep a closer eye on their children,¡± warned Sumie Murakami, a sergeant at the Kyoto Prefectural Police Department.

Information from Kyodo added