*the short documentary above is fascinating, yet nsfw and not for the squeamish*
To my honest surprise, Krokodil surfaced in the news last week. To my even bigger surprise, it was because it hit America again. Arizona, to be more specific. If you have never heard of Krokodil, I don't blame you. It is such a nightmarish drug that you'd think human beings would push it back to oblivion, where it belongs. As a species, we seem to be always able to push back threats to our integrity at the last second. Nazis, for example. But Krokodil is gaining popularity, somehow and as a crime writer, it fascinates and terrifies me both.
Krokodil, as you might have imagined, was born in Russia, some would say as early as 2003. It gives a high similar to heroin, yet significantly shorter. There is also the slight side effect that if you miss your vein, it'll make your flesh rot. That's right. Type Krokodil is Google Image Search and take a deep breath before opening your eyes. If you watch the VICE documentary on top of this post, they feature interviews with long time Krokodil addicts and you'll notice how bad it empties the soul too. Rotting flesh, empty souls, that's right. It's a zombie-making machine.
The question that keeps me awake at night is : what is the possible reason to do that to yourself? Like meth, it's easy to manufacture at home and it is relatively cheap. So Krokodil doesn't cut it if you're a junkie, but only if you're a broken and desperate junkie with no other option for your following fix. It's the bottom of the barrel of the bottom of the barrel. I'll defer to the documentary to explain what kind of socio-economical climate it thrives in. Brace yourselves. You have been warned.