In 1989 and 1990, the U.S. experienced a short-lived panic related to the alleged increase in the use of smokable methamphetamine, also known as ice. The concern about ice was not sustained, and media references to the subject died down within a few months. This author argues that the use of ice was originally a localized event, restricted to Hawaii, and that the words "epidemic" and "explosion" in relation to its use arose from partisan and bureaucratic rivalries within the State. The emergence of a national fear was made possible by the existence of specialized agencies and investigative bodies focusing on drug issues and the intensification of public fears following the crack scare. This article examines the rhetoric of ice, the analogy made between ice and cocaine, and the way in which public officials constructed the ice danger. These elements are likely to lead to other ephemeral drug scares in the future. 1 table, 1 note, and 74 references