The Ephedra plant looks like an innocuous part of the wilderness, which grows at elevations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. But this actually forms meth, which when added to crystals, turns into ICE. The latter is a dangerous drug that is being smoked in increasing doses by young people.The drug is destroying the lives of young people on a global and local level.
The issue shot to the spotlight when a young woman, Natasha Danish, high on ICE mowed down a father and his daughter. The lack of remorse on her face, when intercepted, indicated that she was not in her right mind: “You don’t know who my father is,” she had boasted to police and onlookers. Psychiatrists maintain that ICE depresses any sense of morality and Natasha’s connections to the Rangoonwala Group of Industries had made her insensitive to people she just killed.
The first case of heroin addiction in Pakistan came to light in the 1980s, but now heroin, opium. hashish and ICE have become common addictions in all classes. While the rich, like Natasha, buy their way out of punishment, there is no recourse for those who lose their loved ones to violence fueled by drug addiction.