We’ve heard of some people having a bad reaction after taking drugs, but this may be one of the worst.
Experts are warning people about a new strain of cocaine which they say can actually cause users’ skin to rot.
Cocaine arriving in the U.S. and UK is reportedly being cut with a drug called Levamisole, which can cause human flesh to wither and die and, in a number of cases, it has turned people’s ears black. Grim.
Levamisole is usually used by vets as a de-wormer for livestock and is not considered fit for human consumption. It was banned for human use after its horrific flesh rotting side-effects were discovered.
However, the drug is very cheap and commonly used in agriculture in Latin America and, as its stimulant qualities make it a convenient ingredient to cut cocaine with, drug producers in places like Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia have started mixing it with cocaine before shipping it to Europe.
Patients who have taken the drug laced with Levamisole found that their white blood cell counts plummeted and they became more susceptible to infection, as well as their skin dying and their ears turning black.
Cocaine being cut with the nasty product has been a problem since 2011 but has recently come to light again after the story of a 42-year-old woman who developed skin sores after taking the drug was recently published as a case study in the medical journal BMJ Case Reports.
Experts added that Levamisole can rot the skin off the noses, ears and cheeks of cocaine users who have unwittingly ingested it. However, the nasty sores usually only appear days after a hit because of an immune reaction which attacks the blood vessels supplying the skin.
In April 2011, a report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration found that a highly worrying 82 per cent of seized cocaine contained Levamisole.
Stay safe out there, kids.
