Done by: Tamara Flowers Ilene Castillo Ashanti Mckoy Alexandra Smith

Street Names H Smack Junk Horse China white Black tar Brown Skag

What is it? Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal drug. It is an opioid drug, that act on the nervous system to relieve pain. Continued use and abuse can lead to physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms.

What is in it? Heroin (like opium and morphine) is made from the resin of poppy plants. Milky, sap-like opium is first removed from the pod of the poppy flower. This opium is refined to make morphine, then further refined into different forms of heroin.

What does it look like? Color, physical state, producing region, heat stability, water solubility, levels of purity and “cuts” determine different types of heroin. Most street heroin is cut with a wide range of substances such as sugar, flour, caffeine, starch, and powdered milk. Heroin, depending on its form, can be smoked, injected, or snorted.

Brown Heroin/ Diamorphine base Easier to produce than white heroin. Burns at lower temperature making it easier to smoke. Requires addition of an acid to become soluble in water.

White Heroin/Diamorphine hydrochloride Most refined on the market. The purification process involves ether and hydrochloric acid, making the procedure extremely dangerous given the flammable nature of the chemicals used. The result is a pure and water- soluble salt form of the drug which is typically used intravenously rather than smoked due to its higher burning temperature.

Black Tar Heroin A dark, sticky resinous substance of Mexican origin, which is a result from the incomplete acetylation of morphine. Cheaper and faster to produce than white or brown heroin. Has low percentage of heroin.

How its taken Heroin is usually injected, however it can also be smoked, sniffed or orally ingested. It can be injected intravenously (into the vein) (7sec) or intramuscularly (deep into muscles) (5min). When it is sniffed or smoked, it does not produce a “rush” as quickly or intensely as when it is injected. Oral ingestion gives no rush.

How it affects the Brain Was not fully understood until 1972 Enters brain, enzymes convert heroin back into morphine It then binds to opioid receptors on cells located in many areas of the brain; specially those involved with feelings of pain and pleasure. This in turn triggers sensations of pain relief and even euphoria ( a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness).

The reward centers of the brain are working hard and overtime. This means that once the drugs start to wear off, the brain cells are depleted. If the person continues to use heroine, the brain cells can eventually burn out. Heroine reaches the brain fastest when it is injected FACT: HEROIN WAS FIRST MARKETED AS A NON ADDICTIVE COUGH MEDICINE.

Short term effects Euphoria Dry mouth Warm flushing of the skin Decreased mental ability Insensitivity to pain Vomiting Lowered breathing Lowered heart rate DEATH

Long Term Effects Addiction High degree of tolerance Brain damage Arthritis Liver disease Infection of the heart lining HIV/AIDS or hepatitis Abscesses of the skin (at injection sites) DEATH

Mental, Social and Emotional Consequences Mentally: Heroin use can lead to depression Addiction Loss of confidence in life Addicted users feels helpless without heroin therefore loss of confidence of living the life they want. Social: Loss of friends Loss of Family Loss of Work time when users get sick from using.

Withdrawal Symptoms Include: Runny nose Muscle and bone pain Emotional distress and restlessness Diarrhea Vomiting Hot flashes and heavy sweating Cold flashes with goose bumps Insomnia An overwhelming need for more heroin. Treatment: Methadone- helps alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Heroin causes severe physical and psychological symptoms 6 to 8 hours after the last dosage. Painful withdrawal gets worse as time passes.

Heroin Overdose Symptoms can include: Disorientation Slow or shallow breathing No breathing Snoring or gurgling sounds No response to stimuli Unconsciousness Floppy arms and legs Blue lips or fingernails

Heroin Use During Pregnancy During your pregnancy, you and your baby share many things. The food you eat, the air you breathe and the blood coursing through your veins are all shared with your developing child. If you use heroin during your pregnancy, you may also be sharing your addiction with your baby. Heroin is easily made available to the unborn baby because it can cross the placenta and enter the blood stream of the baby.

The effects of Heroin on Babies Babies that experience withdrawals show symptoms including: fever Sneezing Trembling Irritability Vomiting Diarrhea sometimes seizures. Heroin can cause serious complications during pregnancy including: miscarriage premature birth decreased weight birth defects withdrawal symptoms (or Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome) behavioral or learning disabilities at a larger risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Before and After Pictures

Medical Uses of Heroin Heroin for pain management: A strong analgesic medication which is commonly known as pain killer medicine. It is used for acute pain conditions such as due to : -severe physical trauma or injury -post surgical pain -myocardial infarction (commonly known as heart attack) Also used for chronic painful conditions such as: -cancer pains of end stage cancer (which are very severe and can not be managed by conventional pain medications) -pain of some terminal illnesses It is available in some countries such as UK, but only as a strictly controlled prescription medication.

Heroin for drug addiction management: It is also used as maintenance drug among heroin addicts (long-term intravenous heroin addicts) It is mostly used as a last resort if all other treatments don’t work. Procedure followed in UK for using heroin in healthcare: In UK it is “classed” as class-A controlled drug. Strict guideline for use, storage, and destruction in a hospital or any other medical setup. It must be prescribed by either a doctor or the administration has to be supervised by two people who must complete and sign a CD register detailing the name of the patient, time, and date of administration, dose, and route of administration. These precautions are used for preventing diversion of prescription heroin to black market to heroin addicts.

Why heroin is used instead of morphine? Where heroin is available for legal medical use, most doctors prefer heroin over morphine for treatment of severe painful conditions mainly because heroin in is more lipid (fat) soluble and for this reason it can reach the target tissue more easily than morphine and it is more potent. Smaller dose of heroin can have equal effect of larger dose of morphine.

Bibliography stid=174 stid=174 hundred-year-habit hundred-year-habit heroin.html heroin.html