What is Heroin?
Known as “smack,” “china white,” or simply “dope,” heroin is a powerful narcotic and a member of the opioid class of drugs. The opium—from which heroin is ultimately derived—comes from poppies grown in Asia and in particular regions of Afghanistan (a country that produces almost 80 percent of the world’s supply). To collect the alkoloids necessary for heroin production, workers make small cuts on the seed pods of poppies, collecting the milky juice that they produce. Alkalaids in poppy juice can then be refined into three main chemicals—the sedatives morphine and codeine, and the stimulant thebaine. Those who manufacture heroin synthesize the drug from morphine, creating an extremely addictive painkiller that will produce an intensely euphoric high.
What Does Heroin Look Like?
In its purest form, heroin is a fine white powder—though different manufacturing methods can results in lower quality heroin that will take on a brown, granulated appearance. On the street, heroin can have a wider variety of appearances, depending on creation methods and purity levels. Distributes and heroin dealers often mix less expensive drugs or chemicals with pure heroin, in order to increase profits and lower production costs. Powdered heroin is often encased in vials or enveloped in folded pieces of paper when a single dose is purchased.
How is Heroin Used?
Injecting heroin directly into a vein is the most common—and most potent—method used to get high. Powdered heroin can be dissolved into a small amount of water and placed in a spoon to withstand the heating process. Heroin is then is drawn from the spoon into a syringe before being injected directly into a vein—putting users at risk for contracting diseases such as HIV or Hepatitis from needle sharing. As a result of these notorious risks of injecting heroin, many users opt to snort or smoke heroin instead. When snorted, heroin is first divided into small lines—much like cocaine—and then inhaled directly in through the nose through a straw or rolled bill. Smoking heroin—a process known as “chasing the dragon”—involves folding a small piece of tin foil, placing a line of powdered heroin in the fold, and heating the foil with a lighter. Vaporized heroin can then be inhaled via a straw or a plastic tube.
Is Heroin Legal?
Considered a Schedule I Drug in the United States, heroin is illegal to make, sell, trade, or possess. According to the Controlled Substances Act in the United States, Schedule I drugs like heroin must induce a euphoric “high,” carry a high likelihood of abuse, and be unsafe to use, with commonly accepted medical use.