What to Know About Heroin

We have established that there is a serious heroin problem in Hendricks County, and we've continued the conversation to learn why people use heroin, who uses it, and our need to eliminate the stigma of drug addiction.

Now let's educate ourselves about drugs.

I've added a page to They're Our Kids with lots of resources about alcohol and drug addiction, prevention, treatment and recovery. Click here to check it out. It's an ongoing work-in-progress, so feel free to contact me about anything you'd like to see added to the page.

Now I'd like to provide some information that I hope Villagers find helpful about individual drugs. I'll start with heroin and work my way through other common drugs in future blog posts.

***WARNING:  Graphic images ahead.***

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What is Heroin?

Heroin is an opioid. It's synthesized from morphine, which occurs naturally in the Asian opium poppy seed.

Where Does Heroin Come From?

Plainfield Police Sergeant Todd Knowles stated in a public forum on October 28, 2015, that most heroin that reaches our area of the country comes from Mexico, where poppy plants are able to grow.

What Does Heroin Look Like?

Most commonly, heroin appears in a white or brown powdery substance. It can also appear as a black sticky substance that is referred to as "black tar heroin."

Heroin is sometimes mixed with other substances to enhance or alter the effects of its use. Heroin mixed with cocaine is commonly called a "speedball" or "powerball."

Heroin can be mixed with fentanyl -- an opiate that is about 100 times more powerful than morphine -- to amplify the effects of its use. Heroin mixed with fentanyl is suspected to be behind 74 overdoses in a 72-hour span in Chicago in early October of 2015.

Heroin (and other opioid) overdoses can be temporarily countered by a drug called Naloxone (brand name Narcan). Medical professionals and first responders often carry Naloxone, and it is now available to Hoosiers via prescription. In some states, Naloxone is available over-the-counter at CVS.

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Two types of heroin in powder form. (Credit: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration)

Heroin can also appear in the form of chunks or nuggets. (Credit: drugaddictionhelponline.com)

Black tar heroin. (Credit: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration)

Heroin is often packaged in small plastic bags like these. (Credit: Pat Greenhouse / Boston Globe)

What Do Users Call Heroin?

Like most drugs, heroin goes by a number of slang terms, including:

• Boy
• Dog food
• H
• Horse
• Dope
• Junk
• Smack
• Skag
• Brown Sugar
• Mr. Brownstone
• Dr. Feelgood
• China
• Charley
• Black tar

How is Heroin Used?

Most commonly, heroin is injected in the veins of arms, legs, groin, between toes, between fingers and/or on the neck. The effects of the drug are felt immediately, with a rush of euphoria lasting around 10 to 20 minutes. The heroin "high" can then last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.

Less commonly, heroin is smoked and the fumes inhaled through glass pipes, thin metal pipes, straws or off aluminum foil pieces including gum wrappers.

Rarely, heroin is snorted through the nose using straws or rolled up currency.

Track marks. (Courtesy: Heroin.org)

What are Signs of Heroin Use?

Some physical signs of heroin use include:

• Track marks / needle marks / scars / scabs / bruises
• Constricted (small / pinpoint) pupils for about 4-5 hours after use
• Uncontrollable itching, scratching and picking at skin
• Shallow breathing / shortness of breath
• Dry mouth
• Disorientation / dazed and confused / slurred speech
• Drowsiness that can last for hours
• Dramatic weight loss or gain
• Lack of personal hygiene
• Tremors
• Cramps
• Diarrhea

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In my years as a probation officer, I seldom found a Crown Royal bag that didn't contain some sort of drug or drug paraphernalia.

Some behavioral signs of heroin use include:

• Withdrawal from family and friends
• Lack of motivation / apathy
• Sudden drop in school or work performance, including being expelled or fired
• Wearing long pants and/or long sleeves in hot weather (to hide track marks)
• Lying
• Stealing or excessively borrowing money from family and friends
• Valuables in the home are suddenly missing
• Hostile behavior toward loved ones
• Blaming loved ones for their own behavior

What Do I Look For?

Parents are more likely to find drug paraphernalia than actual heroin itself. Look in bathrooms, the kid's bedroom, and anywhere else where a person can gain privacy. Heroin paraphernalia includes:

• Syringes
• Orange caps from insulin syringes, used to cover the needle
• Spoons with burn marks (heroin is cooked in the spoon by using a lighter or candle underneath the spoon)
• Aluminum foil pieces or gum wrappers with burn marks
• Balloons that have been tied, not inflated
• Missing shoe laces, belts, ropes, cords, rubber tubing or anything along these lines that are used as a tie-off at the injection site

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• Lighters
• Cotton:  cotton balls, Q-Tips, cigarette filters (used as a filter)
• Glass pipes with bulb ends
• Straws
• Small plastic bags with white powder or powdery residue
• Heroin addicts often have their own kit:  a small, discreet case or box full of drug paraphernalia that is hidden in their bedroom or in the bathroom

Another great place to look is inside any purple Crown Royal bags that you find in your kid's room or with his/her belongings. In my years as a probation officer, I found all sorts of contraband inside Crown Royal bags. Cigar boxes and zipped-up cases are another good place to look.

How Long Does Heroin Stay in a Person's System?

Heroin has a very short half-life, generally only being detected through typical urine drug screens for 1-2 days. The ability to detect heroin in urine depends on a number of different factors, so this is just a general estimate.

If you wish to test your kid for heroin, make sure to purchase a drug screen that tests for opiates/opioids, such as this one.

See also:

• Hendricks County, We Have a Drug Problem:  Heroin
• Continuing the Conversation About Heroin and Drugs in Hendricks County
• Alcohol and Drug Resources on They're Our Kids

​(Sources:  Nancy Luckett / Into the Light Recovery, National Institute on Drug Abuse, AddictionBlog.org, DrugFreeWorld.org, personal experience as a former probation officer)