Heroin Facts

• According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 3.7 million people had used heroin at some time in their lives.
• Over 119,000 of heroin users from the 2003 survey reported use at least one month prior to when the survey was conducted.
• The annual number of new heroin users from 1995-2002 ranged from 121,000 to 164,000.
• The appearance of heroin can vary dramatically from a powder that is off-white to a black, tar-like substance.
• Heroin is produced for the black market through opium refinement processes—the refinement of the first three grades of heroin from opium is relatively simple and requires  only moderate technical expertise and common chemicals.
• According to a UN sponsored survey (2004), Afghanistan accounts for production of 87 percent of the world’s heroin.
• Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant.
• Heroin accounts for the majority of the illicit opiate abuse in America.
• Typically, a heroin addict may inject up to four times a day.
• Over 80% of heroin users inject with a partner.
• The quality of street heroin can vary from 0-90%, greatly increasing the risk of overdose and death.
• The potent pain-relieving quality of heroin may result in the individual not seeking treatment for a variety of health related illnesses, such as pneumonia, because the individual delays treatment.
• Heroin drug addiction is associated with many serious effects including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins and many other infectious diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV (for those who inject the substance).
• About half of all regular heroin users die before they reach the age of 50.
• Street names for heroin include “black tar,” “H,” “Dope,” “Horse,” “Junk,” “Mud,” “Skag,” and “Smack.”
• Approximately 14% of all drug related emergency room visitsand drug rehab stays in the United States involve heroin.
• In 1998, 65% of all heroin seized in the United States came from South America; another 17% came from Mexico.
• Withdrawal from heroin can occur in as little as 2 hours after the drug was last used.
• Street heroin is often cut with other substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, strychnine and other poisons.
• Injecting heroin provides the user with the greatest intensity and more rapid onset of the initial euphoric rush.
• IV users typically report getting high within 8 seconds after injection.
• Intramuscular injection takes 5-8 minutes for the heroin user to achieve a high.
• Heroin users who prefer to smoke or snort their heroin achieve a high within 15 minutes.
• In addition to the initial euphoric feeling of heroin, users also report having warm/flushed skin, dry mouth, and heavy extremities.
• Heroin abuse was the topic of a very popular film in the 90s called “Trainspotting.”   Many in the movie industry were opposed to the release of this film because they believed the film would glorify heroin use.

 

Source:  whitehousedrugpolicy.gov

Drug Specific Information and Facts

 

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