Heroin
Heroin Overview
Much of what is discussed under Prescription Opiates applies to heroin and vice-versa. SmartDrugPolicy will dedicate itself substantially to the heroin and prescription opiate crisis, so look forward to more coverage on the topic. To understand where we are with...
From Civil War Morphine to Nixon’s Drug War
As the medical community began to realize the highly addictive nature of morphine in the early 20th century, serious efforts began to find a less addictive alternative. Unfortunately, what was discovered was more potent and addictive. Diacetylmorphine, or heroin, was...
Today’s Heroin Crisis
As the Vietnam War ended and the U.S. sought to limit supply from the main source country for heroin at the time, Turkey, the drug’s use subsided and was confined to poor urban areas for the remainder of the 1970s,...
Heroin Effects
Heroin is really just morphine with a few more molecular groups that are fat-soluble, allowing the drug to penetrate the brain more quickly. While heroin can be injected, snorted or smoked, injection into the vein is the most common delivery...
Treating Heroin Addiction
Beyond traditional treatment programs (see Treatment) that help heroin addicts quit altogether, three alternative methods exist. These less conventional treatments are less ambitious in their ultimate goal, recognizing the fact that the vast majority of heroin addicts who try traditional...