From free pills to addiction: Youths’ battle against ‘K Tablets’, ‘Zicap’ — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): A number of teenagers undergoing treatment at the 450-bed Jangalak Drug Rehabilitation Hospital say they became addicted to “K Tablets” and “Zicap” after friends encouraged them to try the pills, which were initially provided free of charge before dealers began charging once dependence developed. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) says the drugs are being smuggled into Afghanistan and that measures are underway to curb their distribution. Teenagers describe how they became trapped by K Tablets and Zicap At the Jangalak Drug Rehabilitation Hospital, where dozens of young people are receiving treatment to overcome addiction, patients share similar stories despite differences in their backgrounds: most say they first used K Tablets and Zicap after being persuaded by friends or dealers. Mohammad Shakir, a 10th-grade student from Kabul’s Doghabad area, is among those currently receiving treatment. “My friends told me that Zicap and K Tablets were good. I took one tablet, then another. Later, one tablet no longer had any effect and I started taking three or four at a time,” he recalled. He said he first used Zicap, which cost 20 afghanis per tablet, before switching to K Tablets, which later cost up to 200 afghanis each. “Dealers provide the tablets free of charge for the first few days, but after a person becomes addicted, they start demanding…