Explained | Elvish Yadav case: Can snake venom give you a high?

This incident brings to the fore the existence of such a dangerous substance like snake venom as a recreational drug and as a "higher" substitute for other opioids in the country. Sought after by drug-addicts seeking risky and more innovative ways to get intoxicated, snake venom highs are considered to be "extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening", according to experts.

The use of snake venom as a drug continues to thrive in India in small pockets in the realm of seedy, dark drug dens or at the other end of the spectrum at high-end rave parties.

A 2021 report published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology has said that recreational use of snake venom is apparently an emerging trend in India. While opium, tobacco, cannabis, or even synthetic substances like MDMA and meth, have been widely used for recreational purposes, research and studies say that derivatives from snakes, scorpions or other reptiles, though rare, are also used as a substitute for “mind-altering agents”.

The snakes used for such bites are usually cobra, krait, or green-colored snakes seen on the trees, says the US-government website NIH. According to Indian police officials, most of the snakes used in rave parties are cobra venom. They are available in snake-dens as well, where different types of snakes are graded as mild, moderate, and severe form to provide that level of intoxication.

The bites have been reported to be taken on the feet, hand or tongue. Sometimes, in opium dens and probably at rave parties, smuggled snakes are kept in cages. The person seeking an additional thrill slides his hand inside for a second to get bitten once on his arm. According to one report, a powder made from the venom is consumed by mixing it with drinks. Even venom is available in packets with each  packet ranging from ₹20,000-25,000.

Most have described the experience as feeling happy, grandiose, and excessive sleepy. They feel euphoric and this high lasts for two weeks at least. Some feel drowsy for a few hours before the feeling of great happiness seeps in. 

According to reports, snake bites gives an analgesic effect, blurred vision, dizziness, euphoric effect, lethargy and muscular paralysis. NIH records the case of a patient who said after the snake bite he felt "jerky movements of the body, blurring of vision, and unresponsiveness, i.e. “blackout” for one hour". 

Cobra venom resembles to the action of morphine but differs from the opiate in that it does not produce addiction and other disagreeable or dangerous by effects, says another scientific journal.

Many drug addicts dependent on opioids sometimes use snake bite venom as a substitute for opioid, maybe finding it cheaper. Others may use it if they want additional thrills. They are impulsive, jaded thrill seekers wanting to walk on the wild side - out looking for a novel experience.

Multiple factors like easy availability, adventure seeking, social/peer‑pressure, novel sensation, pain relief, and cultural beliefs might have influenced the use of snake bite as a form of substance abuse, says a scientific journal. Experts say that certain types of addicts share some personality traits and seem to have been born with high-levels of impulsiveness and thrill-seeking-behaviour common in poly-substance users or abusers.

Snake venoms have antinociceptive and analgesic activity, and certain isolated neurotoxins have demonstrated significant analgesia in animal models, says an academic journal. The venom on entering human blood releases active metabolites such as serotonin, bradykinin, peptides, prostaglandins, and other slow reacting substances. Drowsiness was the most common symptom observed among cobra bite, which may be due to the effect of toxin in brain.

It is still not clear why this venom - a “potentially dangerous form of substance misuse” - does not kill the user. Lack of fatality in the reported cases may be due to the use of too little venom. However, this has not been precisely evaluated, say scientific journals and experts.

Multiple factors like easy availability, adventure seeking, social/peer‑pressure, novel sensation, pain relief, and cultural beliefs might have influenced the use of snake bite as a form of substance abuse, say experts.