Krokodil: The face of America's new heroine
Carrie Schenk
Psychology 341
Liberty University
Krokodil: The face of America's new heroine Krokodil, (pronounced croc-o-dill) is becoming one of America's newest killers. It was first introduced in Siberia, Russia in 2002 (Thekkemuriyi, John, & Pillai, 2013) and has since made its way to the US. It originated in Russia as a way for people who were already addicted to heroine to get a cheaper high with the same effects. Because heroine is so expensive and Siberia is a poor city, the addicts needed a way to continue getting their high in an affordable, easy to get manner. Krokodil is made of easy to get substances that are not only cheap, but also legal. The main ingredient in Krokodil …show more content…
In Russia, treatments for the users of Krokodile come far and few between. This is because of there is a lack of access to good medical care. What medical help is given is only given after the user seeks the help, often after it is too late to stop further damage to the body or it has developed into the late stage of the disease (Grund, J-P, C., et al, (2013). Usually by the time the user decides to seek treatment at a facility, it is too late to help the addict and death soon follows. Compared to users addicted to heroin, a heroine user has the chance to overcome his or her addiction to heroine; Krokodil users however, do not have the same opportunity as heroin addicts because the drug Krokodil kills them and does it quickly (Priymak, 2011). Priymak also goes on to state that the life of a desomorphine drug user is shorter than that of a heroine user. Most Krokodil users die within two years, sometimes after his or her first dose (2011). There is currently no testing available for desomorphine itself, they believe testing would not even show positive for opioids, although that is unknown at this time (Grund, et al,
Carrie Schenk
Psychology 341
Liberty University
Krokodil: The face of America's new heroine Krokodil, (pronounced croc-o-dill) is becoming one of America's newest killers. It was first introduced in Siberia, Russia in 2002 (Thekkemuriyi, John, & Pillai, 2013) and has since made its way to the US. It originated in Russia as a way for people who were already addicted to heroine to get a cheaper high with the same effects. Because heroine is so expensive and Siberia is a poor city, the addicts needed a way to continue getting their high in an affordable, easy to get manner. Krokodil is made of easy to get substances that are not only cheap, but also legal. The main ingredient in Krokodil …show more content…
In Russia, treatments for the users of Krokodile come far and few between. This is because of there is a lack of access to good medical care. What medical help is given is only given after the user seeks the help, often after it is too late to stop further damage to the body or it has developed into the late stage of the disease (Grund, J-P, C., et al, (2013). Usually by the time the user decides to seek treatment at a facility, it is too late to help the addict and death soon follows. Compared to users addicted to heroin, a heroine user has the chance to overcome his or her addiction to heroine; Krokodil users however, do not have the same opportunity as heroin addicts because the drug Krokodil kills them and does it quickly (Priymak, 2011). Priymak also goes on to state that the life of a desomorphine drug user is shorter than that of a heroine user. Most Krokodil users die within two years, sometimes after his or her first dose (2011). There is currently no testing available for desomorphine itself, they believe testing would not even show positive for opioids, although that is unknown at this time (Grund, et al,