Re: Recreational Drug: Krokodil
Published Date: 2013-11-03 23:41:45
Subject: PRO/EDR> Krokodil, homemade opiate blend - USA: skin necrosis
Archive Number: 20131103.2036593
KROKODIL, HOMEMADE OPIATE BLEND - USA: SKIN NECROSIS
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[1]
Date: 2 Nov 2013
Source: Enstarz.com [edited]
http://www.enstarz.com/articles/282...ak-spreads-across-u-s-watch-graphic-video.htm
A flesh-eating drug that was 1st found in Arizona in September 2013 has now spread further east with a reported case of the drug's usage in Columbus, Ohio.
The drug, Krokodil, originally discovered in Russia a decade ago, appeared in the United States back in September 2013, when 2 cases of the drug surfaced at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, as Enstars reported. The drug has now spread to Ohio, where a homeless man, suffering from the greenish-black legions associated with the drug, told medics he had used it.
"The patient had a large, open wound, and it is consistent with what we've been seeing, or the trend when people use this type of medicine," Deputy Fire Chief Jim Davis said.
Krokodil, Russian for "crocodile," is considered to be a cheaper and more potent substitute for heroin and gets its name from the sores, tissue damage, and rough scale-like appearance it leaves on the skin.
The drug is a homemade concoction, usually consisting of codeine pills and household products such as paint thinner and gasoline. The impurities in the chemicals can cause flesh to decay after injecting the drug into the system.
Other cases of the drug have been reported in Oklahoma and Illinois as well, according to The Huffington Post.
Despite the increase in cases being reported in various states, the Drug Enforcement Administration has yet to officially confirm the presence of the drug in the U.S.
[Byline: Lauren DuBois]
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[2]
Date: 1 Nov 2013
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/krokodil-flesh-eating-drug-ohio_n_4192328.html
Krokodil, Flesh-Eating Drug, Reported In Columbus, Ohio
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Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, say they may have encountered their 1st case of the flesh-eating drug, krokodil.
A homeless man in Columbus told medics he had used the drug, which derives its name from the green-black lesions it leaves on the skin of users after injection.
"The patient had a large, open wound and it is consistent with what we've been seeing, or the trend when people use this type of medicine [sic]," Deputy Fire Chief Jim Davis told WBNS-TV on Friday.
Other cases of the homemade morphine derivative has been reported in Arizona, Illinois and Oklahoma. To date, the Drug Enforcement Administration has not confirmed the presence of krokodil in the United States, although cases in the Chicago suburbs came under investigation in October after a local doctor reported seeing the drug's telltale gangrenous lesions.
Krokodil was 1st reported in Russia several years ago. It is made by cooking crushed codeine pills with household hydrocarbons such as paint thinner and gasoline. Krokodil is reportedly cheaper and more potent than heroin, but the impurities in the household chemicals cause flesh to decay after injection.
"It almost starts like a burn from a cigarette," Amber Neitzel, a reported krokodil user, told ABC Chicago affiliate WLS in October. "It starts purple and then goes into a blister after 5 or 6 days."
"You literally start rotting from the inside out," Dr. Abhin Singla, who said he treated krokodil users in Joliet, Ill., told the Sun-Times. "It's a horrific way to get sick. "Intensive treatment and skin grafts are required, but they are often not enough to save limbs or lives."
But despite the horror stories, some officials remain skeptical that the so-called "horror drug" is making inroads in the United States. People who inject drugs put themselves at risk for similar infections if they use dirty needles.
"We see IV drug users with horrible infections on a daily basis," Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics spokesman Mark Woodward told The Huffington Post in October [2013]. "Infections from bacteria and dirty needles -- that doesn't mean it's [krokodil]."
But some people remain convinced that krokodil is an emerging threat.
"If it's on the table of our drug users, it's gonna get out there," Roger Lowe, who runs a traveling needle exchange in Northeastern Ohio, told WKYC in October [2013]. "I think we're gonna see more of it and I'm terrified of what's gonna happen."
By Andres Jauregui
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[This homemade concoction of fuel and narcotics literally eats the body from the inside out. The lesions appear to have no cure and are reported to be painful and devastating. The concoction is not pure and may not be homogenous, and in some cases those choosing to use the drug have injected straight fuel into the veins. Most people choosing to use this drug are dead inside of 2 years. The warning here is for people to know what they are doing and for parents to know about the lethal effects of this combination and to warn children, teens and young adults. - Mod.TG
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