HeroinBy: Eric Tung

What is it?Heroin is a highly addictive and illegal drug. It is a

depressant drug. The resin of poppy plants are used to make heroin. Opium is removed from the pods of the poppy plants, then refined to make morphine, and then refined again to make heroin.

OriginHeroin originated back in 1874, when it was synthesized

from morphine by an English chemist. A couple of years later, heroin begun to be commercially produced by the Bayer Pharmaceutical Company, a German chemical company in 1898.

Heroin is usually injected into the body, but it can also be snorted or smoked. When injected, heroin quickly reaches the brain.

How is it used?

Heroin is a level 5 drug which puts it in the narcotic analgesics group.

Street names of heroin include Big H, Hell Dust, Nose Drops, Thunder, Brown Sugar, Horse, and Skag.

Be wary of these names on the streets.

Classification

The two major chemicals found in heroin are morphine and Acetic Anhydride. Other chemicals found in heroin include anesthetics and stimulants. Some of these chemicals include cocaine and caffeine.

Ingredients

Heroin can have a devastating effect on the body. Harmful physical effects include diseases like tuberculosis and arthritis. Other problems like constipation, itching, coma, introversion, and insomnia can also result from heroin use. AIDs and other contagious diseases can be spread if heroin users share needles. Since heroin is usually injected, this can be quite common.

Physical Consequences

Heroin can affect someone mentally in many ways. Heroin use can lead to depression, addiction, and loss of confidence in life. Heroin is addictive, and once users of it are addicted, they feel helpless without it, and therefore lose confidence of living the life they want.

Social consequences of heroin use include loss of friends, family, and work time. Very few people like to be around a heroin addict. This means friends and family would rather not want to be near you if you do use it. Work time will be lost when heroin users get sick from using it.

Mental, Social, and Emotional Consequences

Being found with heroin can lead to jail time. Prison sentences are harsh, are without parole, and are based on how much heroin you are found with.

The sentence for being found with 1 or more kilograms of heroin can range from 10 years to life. The sentence for being found with 100 grams of heroin can range from 5 to 40 years. Both of these sentences are without parole.

Legal Consequences

Heroin slows down the Central Nervous System when it depresses nerve transmission in the brain and spinal cord (CNS). Heroin can reach the brain in just 6 to 8 seconds when injected. This will disrupt the cardiovascular system and the respiratory system, as the CNS controls breathing and heart rate. Because of this, the brain won’t receive enough oxygen or blood, and brain damage can result. Damage to the brain will cause it to not be able to send messages through the CNS, disrupting the nervous system, and then the brain won’t be able to control major organs, affecting the digestive system and other systems. This can lead to death.

Effects of Use

Heroin could have been used as a painkiller like morphine, however, the only problem is that heroin is very addictive, which means patients will continue to use it long after they don’t need it anymore without their doctor’s permission, which can lead to drug abuse. Addiction is the main reason heroin is illegal.

Using heroin and alcohol at the same time is deadly because both heroin and alcohol slow down the CNS. The CNS regulates heart rate and breathing. If the brain doesn’t get enough blood or oxygen, permanent brain damage, coma, or even death can result.

Using heroin and other drugs at the same time is also deadly, since then you will have to deal with the effects of both heroin, and the effects of the other drug(s).

Other Information

Now that you have learned about heroin, take a short quiz to test your knowledge! Click on the button to start the quiz.Note: Don’t scroll through the powerpoint when on the quiz. Just click on the underlined words to go through the quiz.

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Quiz Time!

1.Which drug category is heroin in?

A.CNS DepressantsB.Narcotic AnalgesicsC.Dissociative Anesthetics

Heroin is a level 5 drug, which puts it in the narcotic analgesics category.

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A.InjectionB.SnortingC.Smoking

2. What is the most common way heroin is used?

Heroin can be injected, snorted, or smoked but the most common way is through injection.

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A.2 to 3 years with paroleB.5 to 40 years with paroleC.5 to 40 years without paroleD.10 years to life without parole

3. What is the prison sentence for being found with 100 g of

heroin?

Prison sentences for heroin are harsh Just 100 grams can lead to jail time ranging from 5 to 40

years.

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A.10 minutesB.25 minutesC.1 hourD.6 to 8 seconds

4. How long does it take for heroin to reach the brain when

injected?

Heroin can quickly reach the brain when it is injected, in as little as 6 to 8 seconds.

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A.Acetic Anhydride and MonoxideB.Monoxide and Carbon DioxideC.Acetic Anhydride and MorphineD.Acetone and Cocaine

5. What are the two main chemicals found in heroin?

The two main chemicals found in heroin are morphine and Acetic Anhydride.

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CONGRATULATIONS!

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/heroin.htmlhttp://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Heroin#Lawhttp://methoide.fcm.arizona.edu/infocenter/index.cfm?stid=174http://www.historytoday.com/ian-scott/heroin-hundred-year-habithttp://heroinkills-szahir.weebly.com/ingredients-of-heroin.htmlhttp://www.decp.org/experts/7categories.htmhttp://www.alcoholic.org/research/what-are-the-effects-of-mixing-heroin-and-alcohol/

Bibliography