Heroin (H., Smack, Brown)

			Inhaling (Chasing the Dragon): Heroin is placed on a piece of tin foil and gently heated. If forms an oil that runs in lines on the foil, leaving a trail of black residue. As it evaporates, the resulting smoke is inhaled through a tin foil tube.
Brown (Middle Eastern) Heroin	Half gram bag
Injecting: The heroin is mixed with water and citric acid in a spoon and heated until it becomes a clear brown solution. The solution is drawn up in a syringe, often using a cigarette filter to filter out impurities. It can then be injected directly into a vein, muscle, or beneath the skin.

WHAT IS HEROIN?

• Heroin is a painkilling drug made from the opium poppy.
• Other opiates with a similar effect include morphine, codeine, methadone, palfium, diconal and pethadine.
• Opiates are addictive or habit forming. Anybody who uses heroin regularly may experience:
  • tolerance: a need for larger doses to get the same effect.
  • withdrawal symptoms: running nose, sweats, chills and cramps if the drug is with withdrawn.
  • a powerful psychological craving for the drug.
• Heroin costs £20-£30 for half a gram.

HOW IS HEROIN USED?

• Heroin can be sniffed, smoked or injected.
• The effects are the same but each method has different risks.
• Smoking is safer than sniffing. It enters the body gradually, so the dose can be more easily controlled.
• Injecting is the riskiest method of taking heroin.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF INJECTING?

• The dose reaches the brain almost immediately, increasing the possibility of overdose.
• Impurities are introduced directly into the bloodstream. This can cause septacaemia and other infections.
• Repeated injections damage the veins, leading to thrombosis and abscesses.
• Sharing syringes can cause hepatitis and HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS.

HEROIN IS AGAINST THE LAW

• Possessing heroin is punishable by up to 7 years imprisonment and unlimited fine.
• Supplying heroin (including giving some to a friend) is punishable by up to life imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

WHAT HELP IS AVAILABLE FOR HEROIN USERS?

• Many people stop using heroin on their own, without help.
• Withdrawal symptoms vary and rarely need medical help.
• The worst thing may be the fear of withdrawal itself.
• Symptoms subside after the first ten days or so.
• There is a range of options available for those who need help including:
  • Advice and support during withdrawal.
  • Short-term medication to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
  • Referral to hospital for an in-patient withdrawal.
• For people who have tried to come off heroin many times and failed, there are other options.
  • Referral to residential rehabilitation units.
  • Long term (maintenance) prescriptions of methadone.