Killer Krok

Published on November 6, 2016 by in Success Stories

0

killer-krokThis article does not refer to the deadly reptile that pretty much destroys anything in its path. In this case, I am referring to the aptly name drug Krokodil which, when used can destroy flesh and human tissue.

Krokodil was initially created in Siberia. The reason for the name is still unknown. One likely reason may be due to one of the drug’s chemicals, alpha chlorocodide. Another explanation is because after injecting, blood vessels burst and surrounding tissue dies leaving patches of flesh turning dark and scaly, like a crocodile.

The drug, first seen in 2003 is made from codeine, paint thinner, hydrochloric acid and red phosphorus scraped from the strike pads on matchboxes. The result is a murky, yellowish liquid with an acrid stink.  It mimics the effect of heroin at a fraction of the cost. In Europe, a dose of Krokodil costs just a few dollars, compared with twenty dollars for a hit of heroin. In October 2013, a 30-year-old male addict in Richmond Heights, Missouri, had his finger fall off and his skin began to rot after injecting the drug.  This was the first reported case of Krokadil use in the US.

Once a person starts using Krokodil, the person’s life expectancy is two to three years and their shortened life span will include sores and skin ulcers, vein and tissue damage and ultimately, organ failure. Gangrene and amputations are common and the toxic mix dissolves jawbones and teeth.

As of October 2013, Krokodil made its way into Arizona, Ohio, and Illinois and has also made its way into Canada. The reality is that because the ingredients are not that hard to come by, its use and/ or spread may not be that easy to contain.  This drug is eight to ten times more potent than heroin and is one of the reasons people can easily get addicted to it.

A noteworthy article urging “Don’t Believe the Hype about the “Flesh-Eating” Drug Krokodil” claim that Krokadil is nothing  Americans need to worry about and although “desperate junkies” in the in the United States are probably using it, we should not “knowingly overhyping the latest phony drug epidemic”.  The article also notes the largest problem is the heroin epidemic.

Let’s not to split hairs – there is a heroin epidemic.  There are also a lot of drugs which have surfaced over the past decade, some of them the cheaper synthetics.  None of them quite compare to the destruction of Krokodil.

Comments are closed.

Narconon Louisiana New Life Retreat, Inc. is a BBB Accredited Rehabilitation Service in Denham Springs, LA