RODNEY WALKER
2/15/15
DRUG SITUATION IN AMERICA
Sigmund Freud was a well-respected, renowned psychologist and scholar that spent most
of his life researching the human mind and theorized many things about why people do the things
they do. According to his pleasure principle he states that: “There is a basic human tendency to
seek pleasure and avoid pain that arises from the desire for unrestrained expression of both the life
instinct associated with sexuality and the death instinct associated with aggression and
destructiveness.” Drug and alcohol abuse would most definitely fall into the category of the death
instinct as there are tens of thousands of preventable deaths due to overdose every year in America.
Despite educational programs that are available both privately funded and community based paid
for by the taxpayers and government, the need for an abuser to stay high just to feel normal is so
overpowering that many users will go to any length for a quick fix.
There is no doubt that in America and abroad, alcohol and drug use and abuse are ruining
lives at epic proportions. Not only should we be considering the ramifications of drug and alcohol
abuse from the perspective of the user, but those around them that are affected either directly or
indirectly as a result of their drug habit. When looking at the whole picture in terms of drug abuse
it is clear that drugs are here to stay in one form or another and that the people being affected are
far more reaching than just the user alone.
Statistics from the Center for Disease Control have come out in 2015 with the following
data regarding 2013 drug related deaths: “there was a 6% increase in all drug poisoning deaths
from 2012 to 2013 and a 1% increase in deaths involving opioid analgesics from 2012 to 2013.
Deaths involving heroin had the largest upsurge overall, with a 39% increase from 2012, while
deaths involving cocaine increased 12%” (2013 Drug Overdose Mortality Data Announced). We
are still in early 2015 and the statistics for 2014 drug-related deaths have not come out yet but
given the trend, I would expect the numbers to still be on the rise give the new drugs arising.
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Drugs can be taken in many different ways. A user can smoke, snort, swallow, inhale, or
inject the drug of their choice. Infectious diseases are known to be affiliated with drug use,
especially needle sharing. In fact, drug users that are sharing needles account for thousands of
HIV, TB, and Hepatitis C diseases being transmitted. Users are at a very high risk for HIV due to
sharing needles and other drug paraphernalia. Hepatitis C which is highly contagious has been
said to be more contagious than HIV and when polled most hepatitis C drug users contracted the
disease with in the first three years of use. TB is an infectious lung disease that many drug users
are latent carriers for as well. (Lee)
It is pretty safe to say that if you were to throw out the phrase “drug-user” in a room full
of people and ask them what images first comes to mind I believe many people would see someone
between the ages of like 18-25, single, male, homeless, and hanging out with druggie friends on
some street corner begging for money. Many people have false misconceptions when putting a
face on an addict. A fact sheet from the CDC in 2012 has indicated that men were 59% more likely
than women to die from overdose; whites had the highest death rate followed by American Indians
and then blacks. The age for the highest drug-related death rate was between 45-49 years of age.
(CDC) It is very clear that drug users can come from all walks of life but what about the victims?
In an article called: “Children Living with Addicted Parents” they list several sources of
endangerment situations that a child of an abuser is likely to face that would warrant intervention.
Some of the situations listed are as follows: watching their parents doing drugs in front of them;
lack of parental supervision; receiving inadequate food, living in an environment that is unhygienic
or extremely disorganized; children feel unsafe; children missing a lot of school; children seeing
and being exposed to drug paraphernalia; and having access to the drugs. (Lee, Children Living
with Addicted Parents – Spotting Neglect and Knowing When to Intervene) When you take into
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consideration all of these risk factors a child would be lucky not to grow up to be a user and rise
above the hand they were dealt.
Other people that many would not consider to be victims are taxpayers. When dealers and
users get busted and go to jail it is the unsuspecting law abiding tax payers that must pay for their
incarceration, rehabilitation and court costs. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, the average
cost of housing an inmate in the U.S. was $31,286 in 2012. (Hirby) The Huffington Post ran an
article indicating that over 50 percent of the prison inmates are there for drug offences. The top
three drugs that have landed people prison are: Marijuana (27.6%); Meth (22.5%); Powder Cocaine
(22.5%) followed by crack cocaine (11.5%), heroin (8.8%) and other (7.2%). If these numbers
don’t impress you take into consideration that the number of people convicted of drug offences
has gone up790% since 1980. (Miles) Numbers don’t lie! Taxpayers are victims when they have
to go to work to support their families and barely make ends meet on top of paying for the
incarceration of drug users they don’t know.
With all of the reliable sources that there are regarding drug statistics there still seems to
be no limit to the extend drug users will go for the next big hit. Being under the influence of any
kind of drug whether it is liquid, powder, or gas means that all reason has gone out the window
and the risk of death or overdose increases exponentially. This health class has focused on many
different kinds of drugs and the abuses found within each category. Most people reading the
literature are familiar with the names of the drug that are discussed in the book but a true junkie
doesn’t just take a single drug, in fact most addicts make cocktails of different things trying to get
the biggest high in the least amount of time.
When you hear the phrase “Do-it-yourself” what comes to mind? This phrase could literally
mean anything from make your own dinner to build your own shed. In this context I am referencing
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the new drugs that have been labeled the “Do-it-yourself Drugs.” These drugs are for addicts that
are looking to score a big high for the lowest cost using anything and everything around the house
or in the streets regardless of the ingredients. There are currently three up and coming “do-ityourself” drugs that are trending: Krokodil- a derivative of codeine that's mixed with things like
gasoline, oil, alcohol and paint thinner; 2C-P- which has psychedelic effects that don't begin until
a few hours after a person takes it, but can last for 10 to 20 hours and then there is Butane Hash
Oil-known as amber, honey, wax, or ear-wax and goes by its initials BHO. Butane hash oil is a
highly concentrated form of the active ingredient in marijuana. (Lallanilla)
Currently there are three drugs on the rise that are worrying doctors everywhere: Molly,
which is a popular party/club drug; Spice which is second to marijuana in recreational use by high
school seniors, and Krokodil. The first drug Molly is the subject of many rap songs and mainstream
top-forty music as well. You can find it at music concerts, school dances, raves, and basically any
underground party with thrill seekers. Molly used to be a pure form of MDMA when it first came
out but since its gain in popularity dealers and makers alike are mixing ingredients together and
calling it Molly. It leaves users with muscle spasms, seizures and body overheating. It has been
known to lead to depression and anxiety that can last for days along with memory loss. (Nazario)
The second drug Spice on the other hand is an herbal mix that is supposed to simulate the
same effects as marijuana. Spice affects the brain by producing relaxation and altered perception
most of which are stronger than marijuana. Although spice is an herbal mixture for the most part,
it is possible to overdose. Symptoms of overdose include rapid heart rate, vomiting, agitation,
confusion, and hallucinations. Though not many cases have been reported, a heart attack is
possible. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
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The third drug Krokodil is believed to have originated from Russia. Russia has been
reported has being a country that is riddled with an overuse of drugs with Heroin being at the top
of the list. Supporting a drug habit can get costly and when addicts run out of money they need a
new alternative to keep them high and “normal”. It would appear as though desperation is always
the inventor of new drugs and hence forth Krokodil was born. It is a tenth of the price of Heroine,
it has a stronger kick to the high and Krokodil highs can last anywhere from ninety minutes to two
hours. “In general, opiates are addictive because they directly influence the reward center of the
brain. The more of an addictive substance a user takes then the more that the center of their brain
is activated. (Castillo)
When looking at many of the illegal street drugs that are plaguing our communities it is
fair to say that those illicit drugs are pretty tame in nature next to Krokodil. The base component
of this drug is codeine; however, it’s not the codeine that makes this strong. “Krokodil is a
homemade mixture containing gasoline, paint-thinner, hydrochloric acid, iodine, lighter fluid and
red phosphorous, which they scrape from the striking pads on matchboxes.” (Shuster) Individually
these ingredients are deadly enough but to add them together to make a cocktail injection would
only make sense to an addict. The medical name from which the drug is a spin off from is an opiate
with sedative effects called Desomorphine invented in 1932 in the United States. It is clear by the
name that it is a derivative of morphine itself. (New York State).
Whether prescription or illicit all drugs are measured on a schedule scale. There are five
schedule classifications that drugs fit into. Schedule I drugs are drugs that have no accepted
medical use and Krokodil belongs in this category. The name may seem out of the blue but to see
what this drug does to the user makes it more understandable. Long term users tend to have
greenish scaly skin due to the damaged blood vessels, thrombosis, and damaged soft tissue
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surrounding the injection site. The skin smells much like rotting flesh which it truly is. In fact for
Krokodil users it’s fairly common to develop gangrene that requires amputation. The flesh on some
body parts affected by the injections will rot and bare bone will be exposed.
According to California Poison Control: “The ill effects of Krokodil are not limited to
localized injuries but also include pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, osteomyelitis and osteonecrosis,
neurologic injury (such motor and memory impairment), ulceration and tissue damage at sites
distant from the injection site, liver injury, renal impairment and death. High concentrations of
iodine in the injected solution disrupt the endocrine system, causing thyroid disorders, while high
concentrations of heavy metals cause central nervous system effects such as speech and motor
impairment, poor memory and concentration.” (California poison Control) Not a single rational
person with half a brain cell would consider taking this drug.
For anyone that has experienced taking a drug whether legal or illegal there is always the
potential of having withdrawal symptom which can be debilitating and earth shattering especially
when being used to such feelings of euphoria and relaxation. It would be a fair statement to say
that many addicts don’t want to quit for fear of the withdrawal pain itself. Symptoms of withdrawal
for many drugs can be things like depression, insomnia, fatigue, hot and cold sweats, muscle
spasms, loss of appetite, seizures, the shakes, nausea and vomiting just to name a few but with
Krokodil the withdrawal lasts at least a month if not longer and the pain is so unbearable that
tranquilizers have to be used so that the user doesn’t continue to pass out from the pain. The
average life span of a daily Krokodil user is at max two years.
So why don’t addicts seek help when they know they have a problem and want to stop?
The reasons vary from person to person but some of the reason or excuses are that they are not
ready to stop; they feel like they can handle the issue on their own, they don’t know where to go,
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they are not ready to stop using, or they have no money for treatment. Most of these are valid
reasons for not seeking help. The bottom line is that as a society we should not be guilt-shaming
addicts but rather looking for viable solutions for making access to rehabilitation easier for those
seeking help from an addiction that may end up killing them.
Works Cited
2013 Drug Overdose Mortality Data Announced. 12 January 2015. Internet. February 2015.
<http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2015/p0114-drug-overdose.html>.
California poison Control. Krokodil. Vol. 12. Poison Control, Spring 2014. Internet. February 2015.
<http://www.calpoison.org/hcp/2014/callusvol12no2.htm>.
Castillo, Michelle. "What Makes a dangerous drug so Addictive?" 22 October 2013. CBS News. Internet.
February 2015. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/krokodil-use-reportedly-spreading-whatmakes-dangerous-drug-so-addictive/>.
CDC. Prescription Drug Overdose in the United States: Fact Sheet. 2013. February 2015.
<http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/overdose/facts.html>.
Hirby, J. What is the Cost to House Inmates in Prison. 2012. Internet.
<http://thelawdictionary.org/article/what-is-the-average-cost-to-house-inmates-in-prison/>.
Lallanilla, Marc. "Krokodil, Molly, and More: 5 Wretched New Street Drugs." 1 October 2013. Live
Science. Internet. February 2015. <http://www.livescience.com/40072-new-street-drugsconcern-officials.html>.
Lee, John. Children Living with Addicted Parents – Spotting Neglect and Knowing When to Intervene.
2015. Internet. February 2015. <http://www.choosehelp.com/topics/social-issues/childrenliving-with-addicted-parents-2013-spotting-neglect-and-knowing-when-to-intervene>.
—. Infectious Diseases Risks Associated with Drug Use and Abuse. Ed. John Lee. 2015. Internet. 2015.
<http://www.choosehelp.com/topics/social-issues/infectious-disease-risks-associated-withdrug-use-and-abuse>.
Miles, Kathleen. Just How Much The War On Drugs Impacts Our Overcrowded Prisons, In One Chart. 3
April 2014. Internet. February 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/10/war-ondrugs-prisons-infographic_n_4914884.html>.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drugfacts:Spice. December 2012. Internet. February 2015.
<http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/spice-synthetic-marijuana>.
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Nazario, Brunilda. Recreational Drugs: 3 New Threats To Know About. 2013. Internet. February 2015.
<http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/recreational-drugs-threats_>.
New York State. New York State office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. 2012. Internet.
February 2015. <http://www.oasas.ny.gov/AdMed/FYI/Krokodil.cfm>.
Shuster, Simon. The Curse of the Crocodile: Russia's Deadly Designer Drug. 20 June 2011. internet.
February 2015. <http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2078355,00.html>.
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