Warning: Cocaine, Crack Being Cut with Levamisole
June 9th, 2009 by Rick
A reported three drug users required hospitalization in Seattle stemming from close to fatal poisoning from the drug Levamisole, a deworming medication for animals, that was used to cut the crack and cocaine they consumed.
Public Health of Seattle & King County claimed that one patient alone had a medical bill of $100,000 and another needed surgery. Apparently, Levamisole can wipe out a human’s white blood cell count and create other serious health problems:
- high fever
- chills
- swollen glands
- painful sores on the mouth and anus
They issued an alert last Thursday to rehab centers in an effort to reach the users about Levamisole. Director of the public-health department, David Fleming, said:
You can’t tell if the cocaine or crack is contaminated with Levamisole by looking at it. [...] Don’t take a chance and risk your life.
According to Bob Wood, AIDS-control officer with Public Health, until last fall, little was known about Levamisole, because it was “obscurely reported” in the medicinal field despite it being discovered in the 1960’s.
Wood noted:
It’s a good time to remind people that cocaine is a dangerous drug. [...] Now, it’s dangerous for another reason.
Cases in a couple of states as well as areas in Canada and England have appeared within the past two years — so apparently it’s a growing epidemic. Cocaine and crack users are essentially playing Russian roulette while chasing their next high.
