Heroin

Heroin (C21H23NO5 -- diacetylmorphine, diamorphine, junk, or smack)
is a white crystalline alkaloid opiate, derived from morphine by acetylation.

History

It was first synthesised in 1874 by C.R.A. Wright, a British chemist working
at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, London. He had been experimenting
with combining morphine with various acids. He boiled anhydrous morphine
alkaloid with acetic anhydride over a stove for several hours and produced a
compound that he called tetra acetyl morphine, which we now call
diacetylmorphine. The compound was sent to F.M. Pierce of Owens College,
Manchester, for analysis. He reported the following to Wright.

     Doses ... were subcutaneously injected into young dogs and rabbits ...
     with the following general results ... great prostration, fear, and
     sleepiness speedily following the administration, the eyes being
     sensitive, and pupils dilated, considerable salivation being produced
     in dogs, and slight tendency to vomiting in some cases, but no actual
     emesis. Respiration was at first quickened, but subsequently reduced,
     and the heart's action was diminished, and rendered irregular. Marked
     want of coordinating power over the muscular movements, and loss of
     power in the pelvis and hind limbs, together with a diminution of
     temperature in the rectum of about 4¡

Heinrich Dreser (who discovered aspirin), of Bayer in Elberfeld, Germany,
noticed that diacetylmorphine was almost 10 times more potent than morphine.
Bayer registered heroin (meaning 'heroic treatment' from the German word
heroisch) as a trademark. From 1898 through to 1910 it was marketed as a
non-addictive morphine substitute and cough medicine for children.

Usage and Effects

As a medicine, heroin is administered usually in the form of its
hydrochloride as an analgesic.

It is also illictly used as a powerful and addictive drug producing intense
euphoric sensations. It is, in fact, highly addictive.

Methadone is another drug often used to substitute for heroin in treatment
for heroin addiction. Methadone is just as addictive as heroin, has somewhat
different effects, and has shown had limited success as a 'less harmful substitute'.

Heroin is chemically very similar to endorphins, the natural opiates of the
body, but less potent. It competes with the endorphins for the specialized
endorphine receptors found on the surfaces of some body cells. The body
responds by reducing (or even stopping) production of endorphins when heroin
is consumed. Endorphins are regularly released in the brain and nerves and
attenuate pain. Their other functions, if any, are still obscure. The
reduced endorphin production in heroin users makes them dependent on the
heroin since lack of either endorphins or heroin results in the extreme
symptoms including pain (even in the absence of physical trauma). This is
what causes the withdrawal symptoms in heroin addicts; the body takes some
time to restore endorphin production.

While heroin is inherently a dangerous drug, since it is a central nervous 
system depressant, it is the lack of available quality information, lack of 
quality control (few criminal drug dealers meet USP standards in their products), 
and infected syringes that cause the most trouble for heroin users. The money
which can be made in supplying heroin addicts encourages a continuous
supply, and the need to finance purchases generates considerable property
crime. Critics of drug prohibition contend that since addiction can be
treated, primarily by counseling and methadone substitution, most of the
suffering surrounding heroin is indirectly caused by prohibition, not by the
drug itself.

Production and Trafficking

Heroin is a controlled substance, but traffic is heavy worldwide, with the
biggest producer being Afghanistan, which after a ban on poppy growing by
the Taliban in 2001 dropped its production by 95% but revived it to record
numbers following the US military occupation and fall of the Taliban
government. The CIA has been accused to be among the world's biggest drug
smugglers as part of its support of assorted groups around the world.
Heroin is one of the most profitable illicit drugs since it is compact and
easily concealed. At present, opium poppies are mostly grown in the Middle
East, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and in Asia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Short and long term effects of heroin

   * mental confusion
   * euphoria
   * slow and shallow respiration
   * nausea and vomiting
   * spontaneous abortion
   * AIDS/HIV and hepatitis infections by shared needles
   * overdoses (sometimes fatally)
   * long-term criminal involvement to support heroin habits
   * malnourishment
   * poisoning from contaminants added to 'cut' the pure heroin to something
     suited to street use.

Withdrawal symptoms

The withdrawal syndrome from heroin begins within 12 hours of
discontinuation of the drug: sweating, malaise, anxiety, depression, general
feeling of heaviness, cramp-like pains in the limbs, yawning and
lachrymation, sleep difficulties, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, cramps and
fever occur. Most addicts also complain of 'itchy blood,' which is very painful.

Cultural Influences

Due to both the dramatic effects of the drug on the consumers life and the
widespread use of heroin amongst artists, heroin consumption and addiction
has been featured in numerous works of art, ranging from songs to novels.
Amongst these are:

   * Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
   * Waiting for the man by the Velvet Underground
   * Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (life story of a German addict)

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