Crystal Meth Use 'Rampant' in N.Korea

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 03/05/11

[sinanju]

So, just like in Afghanistan and Iran, they eventually end up getting high on their own supply.

[Brookhaven]

Hard for me to understand...
I thought these people were nearly starving...
seems they would just be happy to have a biscuit or something...

---

Drugs are an escape from reality. The reality in NK is misery.

[Brookhaven]

Read a book by a defector who claims people there are eating tree bark and grass to survive. How do they have the funds to get this stuff?

Read the story again. I've added some to the following line to clarify it.

The North reportedly began producing them (drugs) in the early 1980s to earn the hard currency for the regime (by selling the drugs outside NK).

So the production of hard drugs was encouraged by the government and became wide spread. The equipment and know-how is now also wide spread. Producing drugs is probably cheaper than producing food.

[COBOL2Java]

Source: Open Radio for North Korea

- In some regions, Methamphetamine (Crystal Meth) is consumed like food
- Children are addicted as well
- Regulation by the government is useless

Drug abuse in North Korea is worsening each day.

According to interviews with residents of Heoryong and Musan, in North Hamkyung Province on February 5, North Koreans near the border area and Shin-ui-ju, Hamheung, and Pyongyang consume Crystal Meth like food.

Especially near the border area, Meth is used by people of all ages, and even students aged 14-15 consume it. In these regions, Meth is served for guests, and the host invite guests to consume Meth by saying “Well, let’s drink!” Adults do not hesitate to invite children to consume Meth, which is resulting in addiction and drug related crime. Children often steal in order to afford their consumption.

The North Korean government, in March 2008, issued an ordinance prohibiting drugs, and ordered execution of anyone who is involved in trading. In 2009, the government placed specialists to regulate the drugs. However, those involved in trading have bribed government officials.

In the border region, 1g of Meth is traded for 100 Yuan, and the consumption is only increasing despite the food shortage.

[Impy]

Meth abuse would explain Kim Jong-Il.

I’d like to put him, Sheen, and Gary Busey together in a room with some power tools and a few working girls and see what happens.

[Clintonfatigued]

That does surprise me. But one thing that explains Kim Jong-Il is the fact that North Korea is an isloated, mountanous area which was cut off from much of the world when the Communists took over with a population that was already ignorant and struggling. I’m guessing that the crystal meth helps make life bearable for the poor people trapped there.