Pure Heroin

Pure Heroin is an opioid drug made from morphine, a natural substance found in the seed pod of the opium poppy plant. It’s classified as a highly addictive and illegal drug, known for its potent effects on the brain and central nervous system. Heroin typically appears as a white or brown powder or a black, sticky substance known as “black tar heroin.”

Heroin sold on the streets is rarely pure heroin. This is because there is no quality or potency control over the heroin sold on the street.

The heroin market produces and smuggles drugs into the United States from locations such as South America, Mexico, Pakistan, and Turkey.

It is impossible for a person to know what is contained in the heroin they purchase. They will not be able to evaluate the drug’s potency or side effects that may be caused by heroin fillers or cutting agents.

How Cutting Agents Reduce Heroin Purity

White powder heroin is considered the most pure form of the drug and has a bitter taste.

Brown heroin (a dark brown substance) or black tar heroin are more processed and less pure forms of heroin.

Street heroin that has been cut with other fillers or additives, or refined into a different form, may contain harmful products or other drugs.

Heroin sold on the street often contains:

   Impurities

Several substances may be present in heroin as byproducts of how the drug was produced.

For instance, opiate alkaloids may be contained in powdered heroin due to the refining process of creating heroin from opium.

  Adulterants

Adulterants are drugs added to heroin for the purpose of mimicking or enhancing the effects of heroin. Some examples include caffeine, cocaine, fentanyl, and ephedrine.

Diluents

These substances are mainly used as bulking agents to increase bulk size and profits for drug dealers. These cutting agents include sugar, lactose, and other non-toxic substances.

Why Heroin Is Cut With Other Substances

The terms adulterants and diluents are used for substances added to heroin in addition to its active ingredients. These substances may lead to serious health consequences and fatal overdoses.

Common reasons for these substances being added to heroin include:

• dilution or bulking of heroin (sugar, starch, baking soda)
• enhancing or mimicking the pharmacological effects of heroin (fentanyl in heroin)
• counteracting the effects of the substance of abuse (caffeine in heroin)

The impurities contained in heroin can increase an individual’s risk of experiencing side effects, addiction, or overdose caused by unpredictable drug strength.

Key Facts about Heroin:

1. Effects on the Brain: Heroin binds to opioid receptors in the brain, especially those involved in pain and reward. This can create intense feelings of euphoria, relaxation, and pleasure. However, it also depresses breathing and heart rate, which can be life-threatening in cases of overdose.
2. Methods of Use: Heroin can be injected, sniffed, snorted, or smoked. Injecting provides the most intense and rapid effects but also carries high risks of infections, HIV, and hepatitis due to needle sharing.
3. Addiction and Tolerance: Heroin is extremely addictive. Repeated use leads to tolerance, meaning users need more of the drug to achieve the same effects, and dependence, where the body requires heroin to function normally.
4. Short-Term Effects:
   • Euphoria and relaxation
   • Nausea and vomiting
   • Dry mouth
   • Drowsiness
   • Warm flushing of the skin
5. Long-Term Effects:
   • Collapsed veins (from injecting)
   • Heart infections
   • Liver and kidney disease
   • Respiratory issues
   • Mental health problems like depression and anxiety
6. Overdose Risks: Heroin overdose can lead to slowed or stopped breathing, coma, and death. Naloxone (Narcan) can reverse the effects of an overdose if administered quickly.
7. Withdrawal Symptoms: When someone stops using heroin, withdrawal symptoms can occur within hours and may include:
   • Severe muscle and bone pain
   • Restlessness
   • Insomnia
   • Diarrhea and vomiting
   • Cold flashes with goosebumps
8. Treatment: Heroin addiction is treatable, but it requires comprehensive care, including medications (like methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone) and behavioral therapies to manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Heroin abuse has contributed significantly to the opioid crisis in many parts of the world, including the U.S., where its use has been linked to a rise in overdose deaths.