Heroin
Street Names
Smack, H, ska, junk, black tar and many others
Brief Description
Heroin is an opioid that is processed from morphine and it usually appears as a white or brown powder.
Effects
Short-term effects include a surge of euphoria followed by alternately wakeful and drowsy states and cloudy mental functioning. It is additionally associated with fatal overdose (particularly in users who inject the drug) and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
The short-term effects of heroin abuse appear soon after a single dose and disappear in a few hours. After an injection of heroin, the user reports feeling a surge of euphoria (“rush”) accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes “on the nod,” an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Mental functioning becomes clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system.
Long-term effects of heroin appear after repeated use for some period. Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulitis, and liver disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health condition of the abuser, as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration.
Other hazards of use
Heroin abuse during pregnancy and the many associated environmental factors (e.g., lack of prenatal care) have been associated with adverse consequences including low birth weight, which is an important risk factor for later developmental delay.
