At Suncoast Rehabilitation Center we help many people beat addiction to all sorts of drugs each and every year. Because of this and because we work hard to bring information about drugs to our community, we have taken a look at some really harmful new drugs. These drugs are:
Krokodil
This is an opioid – officially called desomorphine – that was created in Russia to replace heroin. It is manufactured with a number of highly toxic chemicals, including gasoline, paint thinner, lighter fluid and phosphorous. When injected, this drug causes the skin to turn scaly and green around the injection spot – which is why it’s been nicknamed the Russian word for “crocodile.” It often leads to serious damage to the skin and underlying blood vessels, frequently resulting in gangrene and surgical amputation of infected body parts. In sum, this is a particularly nasty drug with some really horrific side effects.
One such side effect is getting a lot of press on Fox News, CNN and even Forbes. Basically, when the drug is used more than once, it leaves sores and ruptured blood vessels. The chemicals that make up the drug actually rot the user’s skin from the inside. You read that right. It has caused deaths, gangrene, severe infection, gaping holes that go to the bone and more.
Krokodil doesn’t just rot your body from the inside out. It also causes brain damage, affects the speech center and harms the central nervous system. When you factor in the horrific skin damage – a person literally rotting from the inside out – with these other brain damaged symptoms, it’s no wonder people are calling it the “zombie drug.”
While this krokodil use in America hasn’t matched the extreme use in Russia, the average life expectancy for a user is only two to three years. So, why don’t users stop if they have begun to look like a walking corpse? Another of krokodil’s effects is that it is highly addictive. It has withdrawal symptoms that can actually last longer than a month.
Weed Candy
Recently a new and insidious way to get young people to take drugs has come to the forefront. This is drug-laced candies.
Most often, the drug found in such candies is marijuana or a synthetic form of marijuana. Now, kids are not stupid by any means. They are often very bright and very clever. If a student-aged individual wants to try out or take drugs, doesn’t want to get caught and wants to be able to do it wherever – what do you think they’d pick when confronted with a joint or some innocent looking candy. The candy is the clear and obvious choice. Further, simply the fact that the drug is infused into a candy-like delivery system makes it seem less dangerous and, literally, easier to swallow. Thus it can be an effective way to start children onto a path of drug abuse.
We have done a previous article about synthetic marijuana. Some ”weed candy” uses synthetic marijuana and thus contains harmful chemicals with a high potential for serious side effects like psychotic episodes, violence, tremors, heart problems, kidney failure, and suicide.
Not all so-called “weed candy” is made of synthetic marijuana. Some is made from ground up marijuana mixed with cooking oil and sugar, while others were created from a specialized piece of machinery that cooks the oil down to its purest form, leaving the substance which gets people high – THC.
Either way, this candy is extremely attractive to young people, it is dangerous as the amount of THC in every piece is in no way regulated, and it can contain very dangerous synthetic marijuana.
These candies are sold by drug dealers and occasionally head shops. Most commonly, this type of candy has been found on the West Coast and in the Southwestern states, but there are a few recent news reports of this drug spreading across to the East Coast.
N-Bomb
A new synthetic drug has hit the market – and it’s just about as dangerous as Spice – which is pretty darn dangerous. It’s called N-Bomb and it is derived from mescaline, a hallucinogenic drug.
N-Bomb (also called Smile and 25I) can cause hallucinations and a psychedelic experience, it also commonly causes psychosis, kidney damage, kidney failure, heart failure, coma, heart attack and death.
Finally, because this drug a relatively new drug, it has not been fully examined for its effects n the human body. What we know is from people who have died or been admitted into the hospital due to this dangerous drug. Additionally, it is difficult for hospitals, law enforcement agencies and clinics to test a person for N-Bomb. And, because there isn’t record of it being used by humans before 2010 (it reportedly was invented in 2003), there isn’t much information on its long-term effects.
Devil’s Breath
The last drug is called scopolamine – known on the street as “Devil’s Breath.” This drug comes from a plant found in Columbia. It is an amnesiac and hallucinogen. it isn’t used recreationally but it is used by criminals to get an individual into a suggestible state.
Unlike a “roofie” or GHB, Devil’s Breath does not knock a person out. They can carry out actions but are unable to exercise their own self control. A criminal using the drug on another can get that person to let them into their home or even withdraw money from their bank account. All without remembering much after the drug wears off. It is also being called a “zombie drug” because it puts an individual into a zombie-like state.
What’s really crazy about this drug is how potent it is. It has no smell or taste, so it can be slipped into a drink easily or it can even be soaked into paper and waved under its victim’s nose. Just smelling this drug will put someone into a trance. In large doses, it can be fatal.
All of these drugs are dangerous. If you or someone you know is showing signs of drug abuse, we can help – no matter what type of drug they are using. Contact us here or give us a call at (877) 850-7355 for help today.
Refs: Foxnews.com, Theweek.com, CNN.com, Etowahcountysheriff.com, Khou.com, NBCphiladelphia.com, History.com, Erowid.org, Heavy.com, USAToday.com, Huffingtonpost.com, Topdocumentaryfilms.com, News.yahoo.com
