Krokodil: The drug which gives you a one-year life expectancy
Last year, The Independent reported on Krokodil, the home-made heroin substitute which is severely affecting thousands of people in Russia.
Users can experience horrendous withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, a 40-degree temperature, vomiting, losing teeth and rotting gums, if they are lucky enough to survive.
Russia has more heroin users than any other country in the world – up to two million, according to unofficial estimates.
While heroin costs from £20 to £60 per dose, desomorphine can be "cooked" from codeine-based headache pills that cost £2 per pack, and other household ingredients available cheaply - including eye drops, caffeine, and gasoline.
Vice filmed a stark documentary called Krokodil Tears, which looks into the popularity of the toxic drug.
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