News of an addictive Russian drug called "krokodil" -- described as the ultimate "zombie drug" currently in use by drug dependents worldwide -- has been making the rounds in the social media giving out warnings of a drug-induced zombie outbreak.
 |
| A scene from "The Walking Dead": Social media news tell of warning of a drug-induced zombie outbreak. |
But experts say krokodil is an addictive drug like morphine and heroine, not a chemical substance that would make a zombie out of a person.
The drug, however, causes flesh to darken, rot and decay giving the user a zombie-like "scaly" body with fresh wounds all over his body.
A news article in UK's IBTimes said the drug never left Russia and "is not spreading throughout the US, Canada, UK," and the rest of the world.
In September, reports emerged that two cases of krokodil users had been found in Phoenix, Arizona, at a drug treatment center. Since then, reports of the drug emerging in several other states have surfaced, with suspected cases found in Illinois, Ohio and Missouri.
However the Drugs Enforcement Agency has categorically denied the drug has entered the US, with no laboratory confirmed cases found.
Rusty Payne, spokesman for the DEA, told IBTimes UK that while they are investigating, there is nothing to suggest the presence of krokodil.
"DEA is aware of and tracking the nation-wide reports of alleged abuse of the controlled substance desomorphine that is found in the drug krokodil, a homemade substitute for heroin invented and used in rural Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.
"DEA is investigating the matter by acquiring samples alleged to contain desomorphine, interviewing drug abusers, and monitoring intelligence reports. To date, none of our forensic laboratories has analysed an exhibit found to contain desomorphine. A sample sent to our Chicago forensic laboratory that was suspected to be krokodil was actually heroin."
 |
| The drug causes flesh to darken, rot and decay giving the user a zombie-like "scaly" body with fresh wounds all over his body. |
A similar picture has been painted in Canada, where two suspected cases were found in Niagara. Marc Paris, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug Free Canada, said: "We checked our sources and it seems that the reported potential cases in Niagara have been determined to be infections at heroin injection sites - flesh eating disease was mentioned in one conversation with the RCMP. So far there have been no confirmed cases of Krokodil in Canada.
"Obviously we are hoping it will stay that way. It seems Canadian addicts aren't facing the lack of access to heroin that the Russians were which started this whole horrific thing ... Both Toronto city police and the RCMP are staying vigilant."
Krokodil emerged in Russia about 10 years ago. It is cheaper than heroin as it is made from household items including codeine, gasoline and lighter fluid.
Last year, a study published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases looked at the emergence of krokodil and its potential spread to Germany. The authors noted that while there had been mass reporting on the drug, there was little to no scientific evidence to show its spread.
Explaining its origin, the authors said that the base drug is desomorphine, which is an opioid analogon first synthesized and patented in 1932 in the US. They said it is more addictive than morphine and was eventually withdrawn from the market.--Source: International Business Times