Krokodil: The Russian Deisgner Drug that Eats You from the Inside Out

Though Krokodil, the street name for desomorphine,was discovered about four years ago, it has recently spiked in its use among the youth of Russia. It is viewed as a heroin addict's last choice when cash is low; it can be made simply with over the counter codeine headache pills, iodine, and few other household chemicals to produce a high that lasts about 90 minutes (the cooking time is about an hour- many addicts describe their addictions as 24 hour jobs that alternated between cooking and shooting the drug). The cheapness of producing krokodil has increased the problem among the poorest of neighborhoods. But while cheap, the household desomorphine is a crude toxic product that when shot into tissue (a missed vein) immediately causes abscess formation and when shot into the blood stream causes gangrene and tissue necrosis over time- thus the name "Crocodile". With such resulting complications the average lifespan of a krokodil addict is anywhere from one to three years. Although there are survivors, almost none escape the addiction without permanent damages both physiologically and psychologically. Also the resources such as live in rehab centers are few in number and are mostly run by church organizations and not the government.

The trademark bite of the krokodil

The recent krokodil problem comes on top of Russia's longstanding and widespread problem with heroin addiction (30,000 annual deaths from heroin compose about 1/3 of the international deaths from heroin). In response, the Russian government has made the possession and production of krokodil illegal,  but it still has not made codeine a prescription drug. This has many people wondering if the government's inaction is being swayed by Russian pharmaceuticals who are not so supportive of a restriction on a product whose sales have skyrocketed. I'll be sure to keep my eye out for developments in this Russian drug addiction epidemic. For more information, go here and here.