According to a report in the Asian Wall Street Journal, North Korea is grappling with widespread use of crystal meth. Jason Strother writes: North Korea is experiencing a "drug epidemic," according to a study published in the Spring 2013 edition of the journal North Korea Review. "A New Face of North Korean Drug Use: Upsurge in Methamphetamine Abuse Across the Northern Areas of North Korea" explains how during the past several years meth production has gone from government-owned factories to privately run underground laboratories and "home kitchens." According to the report, it's not the first time that a drug originally intended for export into China and beyond ended up flooding North Korea's domestic market. (snip) "Almost every adult in that area (of North Korea) has experienced using ice and not just once," says Kim Seok-hyang, who co-authored the study. "I estimate that at least 40% to 50% are seriously addicted to the drug." Although the piece mentions that meth was...(Read Full Post)