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Germany

Concocted In Russia, New Designer Drug “Krokodil” Has A Deadly Bite

Officials believe the drug, which is a mix that includes codeine and paint thinner, has arrived in Germany. Sold as a heroin substitute, "Krokodil" users only realize much later that they have consumed a substance that results in extreme

Concocted In Russia, New Designer Drug “Krokodil” Has A Deadly Bite

Worldcrunch *NEWSBITES

Codeine, benzine, paint thinner, hydrochloric acid and red phosphorus – that's what goes into "Krokodil," a drug that originated in Russia and is believed to have now hit Western Europe. In Germany, workers in drug cafés have reported seeing "disastrous skin conditions and damage to soft tissue" among Krokodil users.

Police in Frankfurt and Bochum have so far been unable to confirm the presence of the drug, but experts say that the physical reactions observed in certain addicts indicate that they are caused by the drug.

Many users don't know what is in the drug, the effects of which make crystal meth look benign by comparison. In Russia, cough medicine and headache medication containing codeine can be bought without a prescription, allowing addicts to mix the drug cocktail themselves.

The name crocodile is believed to be derived from the infections around the injection areas where the skin turns green and dies. The scaly green condition spreads to the rest of the body and the toxic drug also effects bone tissue, eating away at users from the inside. Amputations are sometimes necessary, but users usually don't live for more than two to three years after starting to use this highly addictive drug.

Use of the drug is growing in Russia because it is cheap: one dose costs about 5 euros (as opposed to 50 euros for heroin), but the resulting euphoria is similar to that experienced by heroin users. Many heroin addicts who can no longer afford that drug switch over to "Krokodil," even though the effects last for less than two hours.

Experts believe that since codeine is not available without a prescription in German pharmacies, the drug is made in Russia, transported along the usual drug routes – Warsaw, Berlin, Hanover – to the rest of Germany, and sold as heroin to users.

Since the immediate effects of "Krokodil" are similar to those of heroin, users may have to use it for two or three weeks before becoming aware of the dangerous side-effects and thus realzing that what they were sold was something other than heroin.

Read the full original article in German by Julia Gleixner

Photo - CrashTestAddict

*Newsbites are digest items, not direct translations

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Society

How WeChat Is Helping Bhutan's Disappearing Languages Find A New Voice

Phd candidate Tashi Dema, from the University of New England, discusses how social media apps, particularly WeChat, are helping to preserve local Bhutanese languages without a written alphabet. Dema argues that preservation of these languages has far-reaching benefits for the small Himalayan country's rich culture and tradition.

A monk in red performing while a sillouhet of a monk is being illuminated by their phone.

Monk performing while a sillouheted monk is on their phone

Source: Caterina Sanders/Unsplash
Tashi Dema

THIMPHU — Dechen, 40, grew up in Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. Her native language was Mangdip, also known as Nyenkha, as her parents are originally from central Bhutan. She went to schools in the city, where the curriculum was predominantly taught in Dzongkha, the national language, and English.

In Dechen’s house, everyone spoke Dzongkha. She only spoke her mother tongue when she had guests from her village, who could not understand Dzongkha and during her occasional visits to her village nestled in the mountains. Her mother tongue knowledge was limited.

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However, things have now changed.

With 90% of Bhutanese people using social media and social media penetrating all remotes areas in Bhutan, Dechen’s relatives in remote villages are connected on WeChat.

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