Krokodil In The US Rumors Emerge, Again: Is 'Crocodile' In America?

Rumors of Krokodil in the United States emerged after a Missouri teen was allegedly put in jail for injecting herself with a mix of methamphetamine and possibly Krokodil, Salem News Online wrote Wednesday. It has never been confirmed the narcotic has made its way into the U.S., but there were multiple tales about a year ago of American users claiming to have used Krokodil.

The Russian street drug, which is also known as desomorphine, is a derivative of morphine and has developed the nickname of the “flesh-eating drug.” For now, it’s only rumored to be in the U.S., but is verging on an epidemic in Russia.

Krokodil, or crocodile, gets its name from the scaly, gangrene effect it inflicts on its users.

Why would anyone want to take a narcotic that rots flesh off the bone? Krokodil is said to be ten times cheaper and three times as powerful as heroin. "You can feel how disgusting it is when you're doing it," a self-described former user told the Independent in 2011."You're dreaming of heroin, of something that feels clean and not like poison,” the source said. “But you can't afford it, so you keep doing the Krokodil. Until you die."

Not only is it inexpensive, but it’s apparently easy to make. Krokodil can be created with household products, Fox News once reported.

When Krokodil rumors were at their height a year ago, Newsweek, the Daily Beast, Slate and Business Insider, among others, reported that the drug had not entered the American market. There are still zero confirmed cases of Krokodil in the U.S.

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