Heroin – brown, H, skag, horse, gear, smack

What is it?

Heroin is made from morphine, which comes from the opium poppy. In its pure form heroin is a white powder, but it is often mixed with other powders which changes it from white to brown, depending on what it is cut with. Heroin can be smoked, snorted or dissolved in water and injected.

What are the effects?

Heroin is a depressant drug, meaning that it slows down heart rate, breathing rate and lowers blood pressure. In small doses heroin can give the user a feeling of warmth and complete euphoria. Larger doses can make users feel very sleepy and relaxed. Heroin is a very strong painkiller and can therefore stop physical and psychological pain.

What are the risks?

Heroin is very addictive. Over time users have to take huge amounts to get the same feelings. Overdose is a danger for anyone using heroin and can lead to coma and respiratory arrest. Heroin suppresses the body’s cough reflex so users risk death by choking on their own vomit.

Injecting heroin carries its own risks such as collapsed veins, ulcers, abscesses, gangrene and even amputation. Sharing any needles or paraphernalia used in the process of injecting can lead to the spread of blood borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis.

The law

Heroin is a class A drug.
It is illegal to have, sell or give away.