TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Levamisole: a high performance cutting agent
JO  - Academic forensic pathology
A1  - Solomon, Nadia
A1  - Hayes, Jonathan
SP  - 469
EP  - 476
VL  - 7
IS  - 3
N2  - Levamisole is an imidazothiazole chemical most frequently used as an antihelminthic agent in cattle. Over the last decade, levamisole has been increasingly encountered as an additive in both powder and crack cocaine. A white powder with a "fish scale" appearance, the chemical is physically similar to powder cocaine. In vivo, levamisole is metabolized to aminorex, a compound with amphetamine-like psychostimulatory properties and a long half-life; a priori, this property allows levamisole to potentiate and prolong the stimulatory effects of cocaine while bulking up the drug to increase profit for the dealer. As use of cocaine cut with levamisole becomes more prevalent, complications directly attributable to the chemical are increasingly being recognized.     © 2018 Academic Forensic Pathology Inc.      Forensic pathology; Cocaine; Levamisole; Adulterants; Cutting agents; Vasculitis<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1925-3621
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.23907/2017.039
ID  - ref1
ER  -