| Hans-Günter Meyer-Thompson | International
Afghanistan/Pakistan. rom Golden Crescent to Crystal Crescent: The Making of Balochistan’s New Meth Economy
Afghanistan/Pakistan. rom Golden Crescent to Crystal Crescent: The Making of Balochistan’s New Meth Economy
(…) Initial production followed methods established in other methamphetamine-producing regions: importing over-the-counter (OTC) drugs like pseudoephedrine as the primary precursor for manufacture. But soon a natural precursor was found: Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain is the perfect habitat for the growth of the wild ephedra plant from which the precursor chemical, ephedrine, can be extracted. From 2016 onwards, lab owners switched to using the cheaper ephedra – which cut the production costs of meth by more than 50%. (Talking Drugs, UK, 03.06.2026)