HEROIN

smack | H | mojo | horse | junk | kag

Purer forms of this white powder mean that many users can now get high by snorting or smoking the drug's cooked byproducts. However, the most intense high comes from injecting heroin directly into the veins (usually in the arms and legs, although necks, groins, and penises are also injected, especially if addicts overuse more accessible veins).

Source: The lab where it's created from the dried "milk" of the opium poppy plant.

Legal code: Illegal in the United States and most other countries, heroin is still used in some European countries, such as the United Kingdom, to help relieve pain in cancer patients.

History: Heroin was first developed in a lab around 100 years ago by Bayer Company scientists who were trying to make morphine more effective. Before the danger of addiction became clear, it was touted as a miracle cure-a boon in treating the effects of tuberculosis and pneumonia because of its respiratory relief and pain-killing properties.

Effects: Users report a pleasurable rush of drowsy, warm euphoria and then a dreamy state with very low sensitivity to pain. It depresses the nervous system, including functions such as coughing, breathing, and heart rate. These effects are immediate if the drug is injected or smoked and take about 15 minutes if it is snorted.

Risks: There's a high risk of death by overdose, even on the first try. Overdoses are more common with injection but are possible from snorting and smoking. Heroin is highly addictive and withdrawal is miserable.

First-time users usually don't get an immediate high--they get sick. Their noses run uncontrollably, and they get severe stomach cramps (constipation is one side effect of heroin, which is why users often become dependent on laxatives as well).

If you inject, HIV/AIDS and infectious hepatitis are big concerns. Other side effects include dry and itchy skin, pinpointed pupils, delayed periods, loss of sex drive, and chronic constipation.

It is not uncommon for heroin to be laced with quinine and other dangerous substances.

Do not combine with: Anything that also slows breathing, including alcohol, barbiturates, Quaaludes, or Valium, all of which increase the chances for overdose.

Addiction rating: High.