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Tainted cocaine scare as three die in north America
Spread feared because the coke was probably cut with livestock de-worming agent at the production stage
There are fears that an outbreak of serious illness and three deaths in north America caused by tainted cocaine could spread to Britain and Europe. The wave of illness has been caused by the use of cocaine laced with a dangerous veterinary medicine called Levamisole, normally employed for de-worming livestock.
Agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration have discovered that 30 per cent of all cocaine confiscated recently in the States contains Levamisole. This has led health officials to believe that it could have been cut with the cocaine at the production and packing stage in south America rather than at street level. Hence the fears that the outbreak of serious illness will not remain confined to north America.
Doctors in the US, Canada and Mexico have found a significant increase in cases of the blood disease agranulocytosis, a white blood cell deficiency that makes it hard for patients to fight off infections. Agranulocytosis is understood to be a side-effect of human consumption of Levamisole.
Patients who have contracted agranulocytosis through the use of cocaine or crack cocaine have showed symptoms of high fever, chills, weakness, swollen glands, or painful sores.
Three people are reported to have died so far and the problem is exacerbated because few American doctors have encountered Levamisole and agranulocytosis before.
"I would think it would be fair to say the vast majority of doctors in the United States have no idea this is going on," said Eric Lavonas, assistant director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Centre in Denver. "You can't diagnose a disease you've never heard of."
One puzzle is why manufacturers would use Levamisole rather than, say, baking powder, to cut the cocaine when it would be more expensive than alternative cutting agents. The answer could be that Levamisole itself provides a high, possibly by increasing levels of dopamine, the brain's 'feel-good' neurotransmitters.
Otherwise, Levamisole has no medicinal value except for humans. Dr Al DeMaria, chief epidemiologist for the state of Massachusetts, speaking after a Boston cocaine user was diagnosed with agranulocytosis, said man the medicine had once been studied for the possisble treatment of colon cancer. However, said DeMaria, "it turns out it wasn't very effective for anything." ·
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This article is completely completely wrong about this cutting agent being added at the production sites. The largest cost associated with illicit cocaine is transportation costs.
Transportation costs are higher than the costs of producing the drug by 10 times. There has never been a drug kingpin stupid enough to add weight to his drugs before he ships them. This would dramatically increase his shipping costs, while reducing the price he receives for his drugs when he sells them.
For instance for every kilogram of cut he added to his cocaine, he may lower his cost in cocaine by 500 to 1000 dollars (the price of the cocaine at the production site), but he's just increased his cost of transportation by 10,000 (which is the average cost per kilogram to transport cocaine to the United States).
It is much more cost effective to cut the cocaine after it's been delivered to the US, and its usually done after it's been sold to street vendors. Wholesalers do not cut their drugs. They are not dealing with addicts. They are dealing with dealers who test the drugs. The price is lowered by the amount of impurities in the drugs so nothing is gained by adding cut at that level except weight.
This story is misleading. This drug was added by another group, who's agenda is not drug profits. Does anyone remember Paraquat?
Its not new to see that some people who dope will do anything to have it. Dont legalize it, but also dont crucify people...the dope will!