It’s the drug that has gained a renewed pop culture prominence as a result of Breaking Bad, but the real-life effects and spread of methamphetamine are rarely reported on. This is especially the case when it comes to the notoriously secretive North Korea.

A new study from journal North Korea Review, however, suggests that the drug may have grown into a significant scourge in the country. Defectors and others who have lived in North Korea suggest that any citizen caught with illicit drugs ‘faces a firing squad’.

However, the Pyongyang authorities have often been accused of being directly involved in the manufacture and export of drugs, while the population have previously been said to have easy access to opium and marijuana (legal in the country). Now, factory-manufactured methamphetamine is rumoured to have exploded in popularity as poppy supplies run short.

The Wall Street Journal writes that almost every adult in certain Northern areas of the country has tried crystal meth, with up to half addicted to the so-called ‘ice’. The study further alleges that it is not perceived as an addictive drug by many in the region, users instead believing they can easily kick the habit after a few day’s worth of sleep. Others addicts, however, are ultimately forced to flee to South Korea in a desperate attempt to shake off their addiction.

Although detailed studies of drug use in North Korea are not available, the recent reports suggest that methamphetamine use is not an entirely new phenomenon. The drug is believed to have become popular with mid-ranking officials and professionals during the mid 2000s, before expanding to the working class, and ultimately becoming a popular recreational drug among youths and students.

It has also been claimed that North Koreans use crystal meth as medicine for cancer and other diseases, unable to afford or even access actual treatment.

International authorities have long suspected North Korea to be involved in drug trafficking. Such suspicions led to the Pong Su incident in 2003, where a North Korean vessel was intercepted by Australian Defence Force and its crew members arrested. Although all the crew were eventually acquitted (four men were sentenced to lengthy jail terms, but were not said to have been part of the ship’s crew), the US State Department released a report linking the incident with the North Korean government and the drug trafficking trade.