Flesh-Eating Cocaine Is Here To Stay

Doctors say bad coke patient cases "almost routine"

Earlier this year cocaine users were shaking in their boots when word spread about a flesh-eating batch of the drug containing levamisole, hitting the streets of Los Angeles and New York. That news story came and went, but now it has returned with a twist. 

Scientific American is reporting that three-quarters of the cocaine seized by the DEA now has levamisole in it and its side effects are getting even worst. In addition to causing purple scabs and rashes on the face, nose and ears, this tainted coke is starting to attack white blood cells, depleting the immune system of whoever uses it.

Decades ago, levamisole was used by doctors to treat cancer patients, but it was eventually banned because of its side effects. Drug traffickers however have started using it to dilute (for you street slang folks, "cut" or "step on") their coke when it crosses the U.S. border. Buyers have also said that the coke with the levamisole is cheaper and that it actually intensifies the high. Can you imagine what Tony Montana would look like after he nosedived into this stuff?

Time magazine has said that users of this batch of cocaine aren't expected to live two or three years after usage, and that the rare survivors should expect major disfiguration.

Nancy Reagan may barely be able to stand up nowadays, but if news like this doesn't make you "Just Say No," there may not be any hope for you.