Ministry of Public Security Declares Ban on Diazepam

A decree by the Ministry of Public Security has been posted in districts near the Chinese-North Korean border line on August 9, 2010, at around 11:00 a.m., according to PSCORE sources. The decree concerned the prohibition of the drug diazepam.

The message was clear – any production, manufacture or sales of the drug is prohibited and any resident in violation of this decree will be punished and deported. Currently, the North Korean version of amphetamines, known as “ice”, is in mass distribution and circulation, and has become a major social problem in the country.

The areas near the border have particularly high rates of addiction to the amphetamines. An erroneous social belief exists that the drug is a cure for headaches, nausea and other minor sicknesses that result from alcohol consumption, and is commonly used to treat hangovers. The highly addictive nature of the drug usually makes the first use the beginning of a prolonged addiction.

One side effect of “ice” is insomnia, which causes addicts to also take diazepam to cure sleeplessness. Recently, diazepam use is not limited to hardcore “ice” users, and has become widespread among the general population, contributing to the growing number of addicts.

The diazepam currently circulating in North Korea is produced not only in North Korea itself, but also other countries as well, including China.

The drug takes the form of pills or injection needles. One bottle of diazepam contains 100 pills and is priced around ₩600 (won), where as the needles are priced higher - around ₩400 per stick - due to their effectiveness.

Translation by Harim Lee.

©PSCORE 2010. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.