2. The History of Heroin
• It was brought by Chinese immigrant railroad workers
• The opium was then produced into morphine, a powerful numbing agent, but
morphine became highly addictive during the Civil War when soldiers were
being treated for injuries
• A new drug, heroin, was invented in Germany in 1874 and was said to be a
better substitute for morphine
• Heroin and morphine was then produced in OTC drug kits and was sold
between the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.They were marketed to cure all types
of physical and mental illnesses
• They were pulled in 1920 after Congress enacted the Dangerous Drug Act and
made OTC purchases of these drugs illegal after they realized the dangers of
these drugs
3. How Is It Administered?
• Heroin can enter the body through injection, inhalation,
snorting, sniffing, or smoking
• It doesn’t matter as all of these still reach the brain at rapid
rates making it highly addictive
• Heroin is so highly addictive that users’ bodies can build up
a heavy tolerance which can affect how much is needed to
create the same high
• Heroin can also lead to dependance and the user will need
to continuously use the drug to avoid withdrawal
5. Classifications of Heroin
• Its federal classification is Schedule 1
• Schedule 1 is the most dangerous type of
drug as it is highly abusive and causes severe
psychological and physical dependance
6. What Chemicals are in
Heroin?
• Heroin is made from the opium poppy plant
• the opium poppy plant is found in Middle E.,
SE Asia, Central and South America
• The main ingredient extracted is morphine
7. Physical Effects of
Heroin
• The body feels heavy and sleepy right after
use
• difficulty breathing
• dry mouth
• difficulty coughing
• nausea
8. Mental/Emotional
Effects of Heroin
• Injection into the bloodstream is the fastest and most common way of
administering the drug into the body as it starts working in about 10 seconds
• The “rush” lasts as long as the body breaks down the heroin into morphine
• The morphine gets absorbed into the opioid receptors and the user then starts
to feel pleasurably drowsy for 4 to 6 hours
• The first high that the user experiences is usually always the strongest and as
tolerance builds, the user needs more of the drugs to get the same feeling and
to avoid withdrawal
9. Social Effects of Heroin
• Users eventually turn to a life of crime to
obtain more heroin to avoid withdrawal
• A lot of the drug is imported from other
countries through drug trafficking
10. Legal Consequences
• Users can face up to a year in jail and be
fined from $1,000 to $100,000
• If death or serious bodily injuries occur, the
distributor can face a life sentence or a fine
of up to $8,000,000
11. Short-Term Drug Effects
• Nervous system- depresses the central nervous system and clouds mental
functions
• Cardiovascular system- cardiac function slows, scarred or collapsed veins,
infections of blood vessels and heart valves
• Respiratory system- difficult to breathe or cough, can result in a coma
• Digestive system- nausea
12. Long-Term Drug Effects
• Tolerance sets in making it harder to
produce euphoric behavior
• Users become addicted and want more of
the drugs and begin to crave it
• Withdrawal can occur 8-12 hours after the
users last dose and can last for 7 to 10 days.
13. Medical Uses for Heroin
• Heroin is use for pain management or as a
strictly controlled prescription medication
• Heroin is also used as addiction
management when all other treatments fail
• Doctors prefer heroin over morphine
because it is more fat soluble and can be
given in smaller doses
14. Heroin w/ Alcohol
• Mixing these two can be very fatal and result
in a coma and permanent brain damage
• The reason being is they both slow the
central nervous system and disrupt blood
and oxygen flow to the brain
15. Effects On Family &
Society
• overwhelming stress on family members
• financial issues with maintaining the users
addiction, which can result in spending an
entire life savings, a child’s college fund, etc.
• The user can end up finding ways to make
money illegally, for example, prostitution
