All SSDP
SSDPedia
Heroin
From SSDPedia
Heroin is a highly addictive drug in the same family of drugs as morphine and opium; all three of which are opiates. It is the most highly abused and most rapidly acting of the opiates.
"Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occuring substance extracted from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant." - National Institute on Drug Abuse
Heroin is primarily produced in Colombia, Mexico, Southeast Asia (especially Burma), and Afghanistan.
Contents |
[edit] Discovery
Heroin was first discovered by Felix Hoffman, a scientist working for Bayer pharmaceuticals in Germany. His supervisor Heinrich Dresner wanted to produce codeine, which is less addictive and less potent than morphine. Instead of producing codeine, Hoffman discovered an acetylated form of morphine that was highly more potent.
Dresner believed there was a commercial potential for this new product, and named it Heroin, from the German word heroisch, meaning heroic, because the employees that tried the new medicine, while on the drug, felt heroic. The initial reaction to the medicine’s introduction was quite positive. Free samples were sent out across Europe and the United States, and feedback continued to be positive. The drug really took off in the United States for many reasons, the main being that there were already a lot of morphine addicts in the country.
The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal in 1900 wrote that heroin “possesses many advantages over morphine. It’s not hypnotic, and there’s no danger of acquiring a habit.”
[edit] Illegality
Almost immediately after the drug came on the market, accounts of addiction began appearing. By 1913, Bayer stopped making heroin, and prohibition seemed inevitable. In 1914 the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act made the sale of non-medical opiates, including heroin, illegal in the United States. By 1919, the United States decided it was illegal for doctors to prescribe it as well. Complete prohibition of heroin had finally occurred.
In the United States, heroin is a Schedule I drug, meaning it is illegal to manufacture, buy, possess, or distribute (sell, trade or give) without a DEA license.
[edit] Usage
Heroin can be injected, smoked, sniffed/snorted. Injection is the most efficient way for the drug to get into the bloodstream. It is not necessary to cook the heroin before injecting, though it is highly recommended because it reduces the amount of harmful additives. Recently, with the fear of sharing needles, snorting and smoking has become more widespread. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) researchers have confirmed that all forms of heroin administration are addictive.
[edit] Effects
[edit] Onset
Intravenous injection can produce strong effects in as little as 3-5 seconds. Smoking produces milder effects within 5-15 seconds. Intramuscular and subcutaneous injection produce a more gradual onset in 5-10 minutes. Insufflated heroin produces effects within 2-10 minutes. Oral use can take 60-90 minutes to produce effects. (Erowid)
[edit] Duration
When injected intravenously, smoked, or insufflated, heroin produces a wash of euphoria followed by a period of sedation lasting for 2-4 hours. Intramuscular and subcutaneous injection typically lack the initial wave of intense euphoria, and cause feelings of sedation lasting three to five hours. (Erowid)
[edit] The Experience
The effects of heroin vary greatly depending on the quality of material, route of administration, the person, and the dose. Possible effects may include feelings of euphoria and well-being, relaxation, sedation, and analgesia. Negative effects may include nausea or vomiting (sometimes severe), constipation, dizziness, and blackout. (Erowid)
“After an injection of heroin, the user reports feeling a surge of euphoria (‘rush’) accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes ‘on the nod,’ an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Mental functioning becomes clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system. Long-term effects of heroin appear after repeated use for some period of time. Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining the valves, abscesses, cellulites, and liver disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health conditions of the abuser, as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration.” – National Institute for Drug Abuse
[edit] Withdrawal
“Withdrawal, which in regular abusers may occur as early as a few hours after the last administration, produces drug craving, restlessness, muscle and cone pain, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (‘cold turkey’), kicking movements (‘kicking the habit’), and other symptoms. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 48 and 72 hours after the last dose and subside after about a week. Sudden withdrawal by heavily dependent users who are in poor health is occasionally fatal, although heroin withdrawal is considered less dangerous than alcohol or barbiturate withdrawal.” – National Institute on Drug Abuse
"One of the most problematic aspects of heroin is that it causes rapid tolerance and physical dependence. In combination with its euphoric effects, this leads many people to become addicted, having difficulty controlling their own use. Once physically dependent, discontinuation generally causes extremely unpleasant (but not life-threatening) withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, insomnia, diarrhea, and sweating." (Erowid)
[edit] Treatment
“There is a broad range of treatment options for heroin addiction, including medications as well as behavioral therapies. Science has taught us that when medication treatment is integrated with other supportive services, patients are often able to stop heroin (or other opiates) use and return to more stable and productive lives.” – National Institute for Drug Abuse
[edit] Slang Terms
- Smack
- H
- Skag
- Junk
- Dope
- Horse
- Chiva
- Mr. Brownstone
- China White
- Chasing the Dragon (Freebase)
- Brown Girl or Brown Sugar
- Lady