What Exactly is Heroin?
Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal drug processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed-pod of poppy plants that predominantly grow in South America and, to a lesser extent, from Southeast Asia. In its purest form, heroin is a fine white powder. It most often sold as a white, pink, or brownish powder that has been “cut.” “Cut” means something was used to dilute the heroin, namely sugar, powdered milk, quinine caffeine or other substances. Street heroin is dangerously sometimes “cut” with strychnine or other poisons.
The various additives that have been “cut” into the heroin often do not fully dissolve, and when the are injected into the body, can clog the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, kidneys or brain leading to infection or destruction of vital organs.
Heroin bought on the street carries an additional risk: the user never knows the actual strength of the heroin they are buying. Because of this, users are constantly at risk of an overdose.
Street names for heroin include:
- Big H
- Brown Sugar
- H
- Hell Dust
- Horse
- Junk
- Nose Drops
- Skag
- Smack
- Thunder