At least you'll be okay if you snort the worm
As if it wasn't bad enough that millions of Americans are addicted to cocaine, now there is an additional hidden danger in each line of "blow". It seems that those drug cartels in South America and Mexico have been slacking in their quality control because up to 30% of all cocaine being confiscated at the US-Mexico border is tainted with Levamisole. What ever happened to plain-old baking soda?
Levamisole is an antibiotic used to treat infections with helminths (parasitic worms). Given in proper doses and under the supervision of a health care provider, Levamisole is not that bad. It gets rid of worms quite effectively, even if the result is a disturbing surprise in your toilet. But what about snorted Levamisole?
There is a reason why people snort cocaine. Snorting is the best way to get the drug into the blood stream short of injecting it. People who snort cocaine reach their high in about 14 minutes. The problem - beside the obvious fact that cocaine will wreak havoc on the brain, heart, lungs, and all sorts of blood vessels - is that anything in the cocaine is also going to come along for the ride. Levamisole in large doses straight to the blood circulation is not a good thing. Just ask DJ AM...
Chances are he didn't have intestinal worms
That's right, DJ AM cannot be reached because he died of a cocaine overdose. According to the New York City Medical Examiner, his system was loaded with, among other things, Levamisole. Not only that, but Levamisole in the blood stream has been associated with agranulocytosis in other cocaine users. Association is not causation, but people who otherwise overdosed with Levamisole have also developed the blood disease.
If you or anyone you know (i.e. "a friend") has a drug addiction, there are plenty of resources here in Baltimore to help you kick the habit. Too costly to get treated? How much does cocaine cost? Too embarrassing? It is more embarrassing to die of a drug overdose and then have the medical examiner say that there was enough anti-worm medication in your system to take out an army of worms...
My God... he snorted coke!
No, Levamisole does not work on the worm in tequila (or mescal).
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