Krokodil: What is it?

Krokodil: What is it?

This drug is a horrible drug that is used in place of heroin. It originated in Russia, where heroin became scarce due to the war in Afghanistan and the decreased production of poppies. The drug is a combination of codeine and either paint thinner, gasoline, or lighter fluid. The drug is usually injected and it causes an immediate high. Because of the codeine, krokodil includes Desomorphine, which is highly addictive and faster acting than morphine. The drug earned its name because of the toxic ingredients that actually cause the user’s flesh to rot.

The Zombie Drug

Krokodil is the Russian word for crocodile. The drug was given this name because it actually eats away at human flesh and makes the skin look scaly. Before users realize it, their skin develops green scales at the injection site. The wounds are horrible to look at and the affliction is difficult to treat. The flesh actually dissolves on the inside, starting at the bones. Eventually, the bones are exposed. By this time, users die, unless they can be saved by surgery and they stop using the drug. Some users have limbs amputated, but most who continue to use krokodil do not live beyond two years from the time they start using.

Destroying the Body from the Inside Out

Krokodil not only destroys the skin, but it also wreaks havoc on blood vessels, too. Many users suffer from blood diseases, especially as the drug moves through the body. Krokodil then damages other sites in the body. There is nothing good about this drug.

The drug has been described as a “zombie drug” because it kills people from the inside out. The substance does not dissolve in the blood, so it clumps in the veins. This is what causes the issues with the skin. Thrombosis (blood clotting) is what creates the scaly skin and the horrible damage that occurs.

Unpurified and Deadly

People take this drug by injecting it. Because it is already a liquid or syrup, it is ready to be injected. Unfortunately, people inject it without purifying it at all. This is the danger of the substance. People can make it at home and immediately use it.

Cheap and Easy to Make

Krokodil is commonly used because it is so inexpensive and easy to obtain. Desomorphine synthesizes quickly in the body, so it is difficult to trace the drug during testing. People who enjoy getting high will choose krokodil because they can outsmart the drug tests, but eventually the drug will destroy their bodies and that will become evident to their employers.

Little Use in North America

At this time, the drug is not used too often in North America, but there are users in both the US and Canada. Most people contribute the low numbers to the fact that heroin is still easy to get. Heroin in North America tends to come from Mexico, where it has been produced starting in the early 2000s. Interestingly, krokodil users say they get the drug from Mexico. The drug has been found in Chicago, as well as Arizona and Oklahoma, where people were hospitalized from the effects it. In Canada, the drug was found in the Niagara Region.

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