What Does Heroin Look Like?

Is Heroin Dangerous?

In nearly one-third of opioid overdose deaths, a dangerous opioid substance called heroin is to blame. People frequently question what heroin looks like and how to identify it because it is a deadly, addictive, and illegal substance. This is especially valid if you have reason to believe that a friend or family member is having problems with heroin addiction. Many people ask, “what does heroin look like?” To learn more, read ahead.

Heroin Statistics

In 2020, heroin-involved overdose death rates decreased by nearly 7% 2019 to 2020. However, more than 13,000 people died from a drug overdose involving heroin in the United States, a rate of more than four deaths for every 100,000 Americans. The number of heroin-involved overdose deaths was nearly seven times higher in 2020 than in 1999. Almost 20% of all opioid deaths involved heroin.

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What is Heroin?

Purity of Heroin

Street drugs such as heroin are rarely pure. It may be a white powder or dark brown. The purity can differ widely as many impurities may depend on the manufacturing process. Starches, sugar, powdered milk, and other drugs are often added as fillers. The unpredictable strength of heroin further complicates matters on top of the person’s addiction.

Many heroin overdoses are often accidental. Some individuals switch from a prescription opioid-based medication to a drug for various reasons. The problem is these prescription medications are supplied in known dosages and compositions, and heroin isn’t. Even if heroin may be easier to obtain, the purity can vary regardless of the source. There’s little or no regulation of dosage, so people often don’t know how much drug they are taking. Impurities or fillers are added by dealers to increase potency or cut production costs. 

In 2009, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that Afghanistan had identified several chemicals used to cut heroin. Substances included caffeine and other compounds, such as chloroquine, phenolphthalein, and paracetamol. Caffeine makes heroin vaporize when exposed to lower temperatures. Chloroquine is a drug used to treat malaria. Chloroquine is widely available and low in price but does not change the properties or use of the drug. Some believe the additive may be sold as fake heroin in Southwest Asia.

Cutting agents used include:

Chalk, flour, talcum powder, starch, and more dangerous agents, such as methamphetamine, cocaine, alprazolam, ecstasy, and crack cocaine, are also been used. Therefore, street heroin’s purity can vary greatly, anywhere from 3-99 percent. One can easily see why the risk of overdose is so high.

7 Types of Heroin

Heroin comes in many colors, forms, textures, and cuts; the most popular type of heroin can vary by region. Substances that manufacturers add and drug dealers to heroin also affect its texture and appearance.

Street heroin is almost always combined with “cutting agents,” or fillers, to increase profit and stretch the drug dealers’ supply. 

1 White Powder Heroin

What does powder heroin look like? White to off-white refined powder heroin, known as diacetylmorphine hydrochloride, is the purest form of heroin. However, it may be cut with other substances. Sometimes the color may be beige or pink, depending on the exact ingredients and the processing methods. Typically, the whiter the heroin, the purer it is, but white powder fillers can still cut it. Because it dissolves quickly, people inject this type of heroin, but the additives can sometimes cause problems. It’s not usually smoked because it burns at much higher temperatures than other forms of heroin.

2 Brown powder Heroin

Brown powder heroin is an increasingly common form of heroin. Brown powder used to be sold primarily in the western United States, but it also shows up in cities in the Midwest and along the East Coast.

Some brown powder is produced from black tar heroin that is crushed and laced with cutting agents to make it easier to snort. Others are produced as the result of the first stage of purification and may also be engraved with lactose. It has an appearance similar to sand but can vary in shade of brown depending on the additives.

Because brown heroin can be snorted or smoked and doesn’t require intravenous injection, it has gained popularity among suburban teenagers and others who might never before have considered using heroin due to a fear of needles, track marks, and blood-borne disease.

4 China White

At one time, China White referred to pure white powder heroin manufactured in Southeast Asia. Today, the name is more commonly used as a slang term for powder heroin mixed with fentanyl or other analogs of fentanyl. China White can also refer to fentanyl sold as heroin or a heroin-like product.

Both China White and fentanyl have fearsome reputations, and fentanyl-laced heroin has been associated with the recent spike in opioid-related overdose fatalities.

5 Speedball

A speedball mixes heroin and a stimulant, such as cocaine, a central nervous system (CNS) depressant and an inspiration. Usually cocaine, but meth is also used, though not as frequently. When used in conjunction, these two drugs can create a dangerous tug-of-war effect on the body. 

While heroin acts on the CNS to slow breathing and induce drowsiness, cocaine (and meth) increase heart rate and blood pressure and can cause anxiety and agitation. Speedballing can cause a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, or respiratory failure. Speedballs are also increasingly tainted with fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that can cause overdose and death.

6 Gun Powder Heroin

A reportedly more potent version of black tar heroin called gunpowder heroin has been popping up on the West Coast. Gunpowder heroin is a crumbly substance resembling dried coffee.

As the name would suggest, it often resembles gunpowder or coffee grounds. The color is usually dark grey or solid black but may also contain white or black specks. Because of its increased solubility versus black tar heroin, it is easier to inject, and its relatively lower cost may contribute to its popularity among some users.

7 Scramble

Scramble is a mixture of brown or white powder heroin and other substances packed into a gelatin capsule. It may contain many filters, including lactose, quinine, fentanyl, crushed opioid pills, and benzodiazepines. A scramble is a widespread form of heroin in Baltimore.

Heroin Addiction

The specific causes of heroin addiction can vary from person to person. However, research has shown that a combination of dynamics can explain why a person becomes a heroin addict. Some of these causes may include the following:

Genetic: Researchers believe genetics contribute to whether or not a person is susceptible to drug addiction. Moreover, certain personality traits could render a person vulnerable to developing a substance abuse problem.

Physical: Because heroin quickly crosses the blood-brain barrier, a heroin addict’s brain functioning is at risk of impairment. The ability to process information, communicate effectively, and regulate impulses are all hindered when a person uses heroin. These hindrances put the addict at risk of compromising his or her safety and the safety of others.

Environmental: People with early exposure to drug addiction are at risk of learning that drug abuse is a way to cope with stress. Additionally, and for those without this exposure, traumatic life events can trigger a person to turn to drugs to manage stress.

Treatment for Heroin Addiction

When people addicted to opioids like heroin first quit, they undergo withdrawal symptoms (pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting), which may be severe.

Medications can be helpful in this detoxification stage. This is to ease craving and other physical symptoms that can often prompt a person to relapse.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) can be considered by all individuals seeking treatment for heroin addiction. Drugs such as Suboxone, Zubsolv, and Vivitrol may aid heroin addicts in their recovery.

• Lofexidine. FDA-approved, a non-opioid medicine designed to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms. It is the primary medication for detoxification and heroin withdrawal symptoms.

• Methadone (Dolophine or Methadose) is a slow-acting opioid agonist. Methadone is taken orally to reach the brain slowly while preventing withdrawal symptoms. Methadone is only available through approved treatment programs, where it is dispensed to patients daily.

• Buprenorphine (Subutex). FDA approved. Buprenorphine relieves drug cravings without producing the “high” or dangerous side effects of other opioids. Suboxone is a novel formulation of buprenorphine that is taken orally and contains naloxone (an opioid antagonist) to prevent attempts to get high by injecting the medication.

• Naltrexone (Vivitrol). FDA approved. It is a medication primarily used to manage alcohol or heroin addiction by reducing cravings and feelings of euphoria associated with substance abuse. Heroin addicted person should not receive naltrexone before detoxification.

• Naloxone should be given to anyone who shows signs of an opioid overdose or when an overdose is suspected. It can be given as a nasal spray or injected into the muscle, under the skin, or into the veins.

Behavioral Therapies

Behavioral therapies or Psychotherapies – Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps modify the patient’s expectations and behaviors related to drug use and increase skills in coping with various life stressors.

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