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Ukraine is flooded with the drug "crocodile"
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Painkillers and cough medicines are sold in Ukrainian pharmacies without a doctor's prescription. And they are especially popular not because of their low prices, but because they contain codeine, a raw material for the production of the drug desomorphine.
Users of this drug live from 3 months to 1 year. During this time, they become covered in ulcers all over their body, their liver, kidneys, and brain fail, and gangrene of the extremities is possible.
"Desamorphine's structure includes a wide variety of impurities - bleaches, acids, etc. These substances quite often lead to necrosis of a wide variety of body tissues. Skin rashes appear in the form of scales, making the skin look like crocodile skin," experts say.
In Russia, the drug "krokodil" is second in popularity after heroin. It has already occupied 25% of the market and is spreading confidently. In this regard, since June 1, all drugs containing codeine in Russia are sold only by prescription. In Ukraine, they are only planning to follow this path.
True, narcologists do not hide their skepticism in this regard, remembering the story with tramadol. This drug was also transferred to the group of prescription drugs, but this did not reduce the number of drug addicts, but the patients who needed this drug suffered.