Most people consider the widespread use of illicit drugs to be a pervasive social problem, and sadly, it’s a problem that seems to be getting worse by the day. For the past few years in the United States, the overdose rate from opioid drugs has skyrocketed, and this disturbing trend is being exacerbated by the availability of new forms of unregulated opioid substances. Although opioids dominate contemporary drug control discussions, there is another, albeit lesser known form of drug abuse that is ripping one particular family apart. This particular drug is, of course, bee venom. Well, perhaps this particular form of drug abuse is not considered a public health threat, but one woman, Margaret, from Morningview, Kentucky has been stinging herself with honey bees for a decade now, and needless to say, this bizarre and dangerous habit is of serious concern to her family. To add another strange aspect to Margaret’s unique addiction, the bee stings have an aphrodisiac effect that makes the addiction even more difficult to kick.

Ten years ago, Margaret began stinging herself with honey bees in order to relieve her arthritis. According to Margaret, her first bee sting was not painful to her, and she noticed that the venom seemed to relieve her arthritis. Over the years, Margaret’s addiction intensified, and now she stings herself with live bees about 100 times per week. Margaret is able to sustain her addiction by raising bees in hives within her backyard. When Margaret needs a fix, she snatches a bee with tweezers, and sticks the insect’s stinger directly into her skin. Margaret’s husband, JD, is understandably worried about the effect that the repeated bee stings may be having on his wife’s health, but Margaret claims that she has developed an immunity to the pain caused by the venom. However, Margaret’s doctor has warned her about the distinct possibility of developing a dangerous or even fatal allergy to the venom as a result of sustaining numerous stings on a regular basis. Due to the guilt Margaret feels toward the bees that she kills by forcing them to sting her, she has cut back to ten stings a day as opposed to her usual fifteen.

Do you think that sustaining several bee stings daily for years could result in the development of unique medical conditions?