Authorities Warn About New Danger in Cocaine

A veterinary drug that is unsafe for humans is being used to dilute most of the cocaine that is being shipped into the United States, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

Levamisole has been found in at least eight hospital admissions where people got sick after using powdered or crack cocaine, and in 90% of 200 patients who tested positive for cocaine.

Levamisole poisoning symptoms include fever, infection and swollen glands.

"We need people to know that you're not getting pure cocaine anymore. You're exposing yourself to the effects of an anti-parasite drug instead of cocaine," one official with the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration told the Chronicle. "You're not getting high off cocaine, you're getting sick off of levamisole."