Transcript Slide 1

Heroin is a synthetic opiate drug that
is highly addictive. Heroin is
processed from morphine, a naturally
occurring substance extracted from
the seed pod of certain varieties of
poppy plants. It is an illegal drug.
Where Does it Come From?
The primary supplier to the United
States is South America. Southeast Asia
still plays a role in supplying the United
Sates also.
 Columbia is the leader in the South
American countries in production and
distribution of herion.
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HEROIN’S DIFFERENT
FORMS:
Heroin comes in various forms, but pure
heroin is a white powder with a bitter taste.
Most illicit heroin comes in powder form in
colours, ranging from white to dark brown.
The colors are due to the impurities left
from the manufacturing process or the
presence of additives. “Black tar” is
another form of heroin that resembles
roofing tar or is hard like coal. Colour
varies from dark brown to black.
HISTORY
 Heroin
is an opiate and was first
manufactured back in 1874. Opiates
are drugs manufactured from the
opium poppy plant and others in this
family include:
 Morphine
 Codeine
 Opium
Opioids are natural or synthetic
substances that act on the brain’s opiate
receptors.
Opioids dull pain and relieve anxiety
that comes from thinking about pain.
People abuse opioids because they
provide a feeling of euphoria (a
“rush”).
Opiates in the Human Body
Many different parts of the brain are effected by
heroin use.
 Heroin primarily effects the limbic system. This
controls your emotions, and allows the user to feel
an extreme increase in pleasure.
 On the spinal cord, pain messages transmitted to
and from the body are blocked, eliminating all
discomforts.
 At the brain stem the usage effects your automatic
body functions, such as breathing, and may also
depress one’s breathing level to a dangerous level.
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Physical Effects of Opioids
Taking opioids causes
 Constricted pupils
 Flushing of the skin
 Heavy feeling in the limbs
The rush is followed by a confused, drowsy
feeling that lasts several hours.
Breathing and heart rate slow during this
period.
Heroin’s street Names
Heroin has many street names including
big H, blacktar, brown sugar, dope, horse,
junk, mud, skag.
The most common name for heroin is
smack. After September 11th, heroin was
even called Bin Laden, twin towers and
WTC. Some other interesting street names
are Bart Simpson, Aunt Hazel, birdie
powder, Dr. Feelgood, dog food, Hongyen, lemonade, Mexican mud, old Steve,
Pangonadalot and witch hazel.
Who Uses Heroin?
There is an estimated 810,000 heroin
addicts in the United States
 80% of those users are under the age of
26.
 The average age of addicts is 21. 10
years ago it was 25.
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Heroin:
what
are
the
effects?
The immediate effects of heroin may last 3 to 5 hours.
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They are:
Intense pleasure and a strong feeling of well-being.
Confusion.
Pain relief.
Slowed breathing.
Decreased blood pressure and heart rate.
Constricted pupils.
Dry mouth.
Suppressed cough reflex.
Reduced sexual urges.
Drowsiness.
Slurred and slow speech.
Reduced co-ordination, nausea and vomiting.
Most common method of use
Smoking or inhaling the fumes (known as chasing)
Swallowing or snorting.
Injection(IV) is a very popular way that heroin is taken. By
injecting the drug, rather than smoking or snorting it, the
same effects are achieved with less heroin and faster.
There is no safe way to use heroin. Research also shows that
most people who start smoking heroin end up injecting it if
they continue to use.
The main reason people use heroin is for its euphoric effect
- however people very quickly become dependent on it and
getting off heroin is exceptionally difficult.
Short-term effects
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Faster Heartbeat/pulse rate
Bloodshot eyes
Dry mouth and Throat
Impaired short term memory
Altered sense of Time
Reduced ability to do things requiring
concentration, swift reactions and
coordination
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Long term effects
Collapsed Veins
Infection of the heart lining and valves
Liver Disease
Pulmonary Complications
dependence, constipation, menstrual
irregularity and infertility in women, loss
of sex drive in men, intense sadness and
cognitive impairment.
Overdose On Heroin
 Using a large quantity of  Bluish-colored
fingernails and lips
heroin can cause death
 Shallow breathing
 Constipation
 Slow and difficult
 Spasms of the
breathing
stomach and
 Dry mouth
intestinal tract
 Extremely small pupils,  Coma
sometimes as small as
 Delirium
the head of a pin
 Disorientation
("pinpoint pupils")
 Drowsiness
 Tongue discoloration
 Low blood pressure
 Muscle Spasticity
 Weak pulse
Dependency
The psychological dependency of heroin is very
high.
 Effects include a sense of discomfort and loss of
well being.
 The high number of relapse rates after
withdrawal show that the psychological
dependency is more of a problem than physical
dependency.
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Fighting the Addiction
Most common treatment is methadone.
This withdrawal procedure slowly eases
the patient off the drug by replacing
heroin with methadone, a lower dose of
heroin. This treatment may cost $5,000
 The other method is going “cold turkey.”
It’s has been compared to jumping off a
cliff and often causes death for those
whose bodies are to unhealthy to
withstand the withdrawl.
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Famous People Addicted to
Heroin
Jimmy Hendrix
 Jerry Garcia (Greatful Dead)
 Bradley Nowell (Singer Sublime)
 Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
 Robert Downey Jr. (Ironman)
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5 Review Questions
What plant does heroin come from?
 Who is the main supplier of heroin to the
United States?
 What are three ways of doing heroin?
 What are the 2 types of with drawl
methods?
 What are 3 side effects of using heroin?
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Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cskq_
zGVSZs
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPd4
ZpzIFtk
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