[pullquote_left]Deadly Compound: Krokodil is made by mixing codeine with gasoline and has a high that is similar to heroin
[/pullquote_left]The first cases of a terrifying new drug called 'Krokodil' that eats flesh from the inside out, is flammable and leaves addicts with reptilian-like skin have been reported this week in Arizona - and the state fears the beginning of an epidemic.
Popular in Russia, Krokodil is homemade, is three-times cheaper than heroin and created by mixing codeine with gasoline or oil, filtering it and then injecting the rancid concoction into the users body.
Banner's Poison Control Center most likely encountered the drug when two addicts arrived in emergency rooms with their flesh hanging off their body, exposing bone or with skin resembling that of a crocodile, hence its name.
'As far as I know, these are the first cases in the United States that are reported. So we're extremely frightened,' he continued.
Continual use of Krokodil causes blood vessels to burst, leaving skin green and scaly among addicts eventually causing gangrene and their flesh to begin to rot.
Rabid use in Russia has caused up to 2.5 million people to register and seek treatment as addicts and the average life span for a user is only two to three years.
'When drug users do it repeatedly, the skin sloughs. It causes hardening of their skin. It will cause necrosis,'
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