Krokodil Tears

A new street drug from Russia has arrived in America and is dubbed the worst drug in the world. Called Krokodil, it's named after the greenish, scaly, rotting skin where people inject the concoction.

Krokodil's chemical name is desomorphine and was first created in the U.S. in the 1930s as a potential substitute for the highly addictive morphine. But it turned out to be even more addictive.

As many as one million Russians are now addicts, partly because it's easy and cheap to make. It comes from "cooking" codeine with gasoline, paint thinner, lighter fluid and a few other easily available ingredients in just one hour.

Once injected into a vein, the user feels high within two minutes and the effects last up to two hours. From the first dose, addicts can die within two to three years, but even once can be fatal since the drug is so corrosive. It can destroy veins, blocking blood flow. If the drug isn't injected correctly into the vein, the skin begins to rot and degenerate to the bone, usually around the arms and legs, requiring amputation.

The few addicts who recover are usually disfigured and brain damaged for life. The first two known cases of Krokodil use in the U.S. were documented by a poison control center in Phoenix, Arizona, in September of 2013. Then additional reports came from Oklahoma, Illinois, Arizona, Utah, and maybe New York City. Krokodil is also confirmed in several European countries such as Germany and Belgium.

Some buyers of heroin may be unaware they're getting a cheaper and much more toxic drug. And since addiction happens in just days, we may be seeing just the beginning of this drug in the U.S.