Nearly Half of North Korean Population May Use Crystal Meth

Keeps them focused, some say

Though it wasn't featured in VICE's televised trip there, North Koreans'preference for crystal meth became apparent in the early aughts when poppy fields providing the country with opium on its way to China dried up. These days, the stuff known as "bingdu" (and, unsurprisingly "ice") does pretty well for itself in the Democratic People's Republic, claiming upwards of half the overall residential population's users. According to the Wall Street Journalhowever, North Korean nationals also use the stuff to keep themselves focused and awake when fleeing, often leaving behind the nasty habit upon entering the free world.