What are 5 Types of Heroin?
Have you heard about the Opioid epidemic that’s sweeping our nation? Stories of heroin abuse, addiction and overdoses are in the headlines every day. It is impacting families everywhere.
Heroin is a powerful, illegal opioid drug on its own. Today, dealers often combine heroin with other substances like fentanyl, multiplying its potency—and also its life-threatening dangers. Buying heroin on the street is a roll-of-the-dice. You can never really know the precise make-up or strength of the drug you may use. As evidenced in all those headlines—heroin is a killer.
If you or someone you love has developed a heroin addiction, seek help immediately. Speak confidentially with a counselor right now. Make the call. (888) 837-6577.
Heroin comes in many forms, colors, textures and cuts, and the most popular type of heroin can vary by region. Here is a breakdown of five of the most popular types of heroin today, according to experts at Honey Lake Clinic—
1. White Powder Heroin
Most heroin sold east of the Mississippi River is a white to off-white powder that comes from Mexico and South America. Although white powder heroin is more refined than other forms of the drug, heroin sold on the streets is never pure heroin. Dealers typically mix the drug with cutting agents to stretch their supply and increase profit.
Common cutting agents include lactose, quinine, talc, sugar and caffeine. These additives can change what heroin looks like. They account for variations in color, which can range from white to beige to pink. White powder heroin sometimes smells like vinegar and has a bitter taste. The fine white powder can easily be mistaken for cocaine.
2. Black Tar Heroin
Black tar heroin is a dark-colored form of heroin that ranges from a gooey consistency to a hard, rock-like form. Produced in Mexico, black tar heroin is the most common type of heroin available west of the Mississippi River. But recently it’s been turning up more frequently in the Midwest and even on the East Coast.
Sometimes called chiva, Mexican tar or black, black tar is less refined than powder forms of heroin. The dark color, which can range from a deep red color to dark brown to black, comes from contaminants in the refinement process. This form tends to have a strong vinegar smell.
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3. China White
China White used to refer to a very pure form of white powder heroin from Southeast Asia. Today, people usually use the name as slang for powder heroin mixed with fentanyl or other designer versions of fentanyl. China White can also refer to fentanyl alone.
The drug has earned a lethal reputation, as fentanyl-laced heroin has been linked to the recent spike in opioid-related overdose deaths. Compared to heroin, fentanyl is 25 to 50 times stronger.
4. Brown Powder
Brown powder heroin, also produced in Mexico, is an increasingly common form of heroin. Brown powder used to be sold primarily in the western United States, but it is also showing up in cities in the Midwest and along the East Coast.
Often called Mexican brown, brown powder is more refined than black tar heroin but less expensive than white powder heroin. Some brown powder is created from black tar heroin that is crushed and cut with other additives to make it easier to snort.
Because it can be smoked or snorted and doesn’t have to be injected with a needle, brown powder has gained popularity among suburban teens and others who might never before have considered using heroin.
5. Speedball
A speedball is a mix of heroin and a stimulant, such as cocaine. While the heroin acts on the central nervous system to slow breathing and cause drowsiness, the cocaine revs up the heart and blood pressure and causes anxiety. Some have called this a push-pull dynamic.
Speedballing can lead to a stroke, heart attack, aneurysm or respiratory failure. Speedballs are also increasingly tainted with fentanyl.
Other Types of Heroin
Amid the ongoing opioid epidemic, other forms of heroin are appearing on the streets. These designer drugs often contain a dangerous mix of heroin and other drugs. Neither dealers nor buyers know exactly what’s in the product. Users have no idea what they’re ingesting or how potent—and potentially lethal—it is.
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It’s important to recognize, abuse and addiction don’t happen in a vacuum. The path to recovery and wholeness involves getting to the root the problem. To get at underlying hurt and bring lasting healing takes a holistic—spirit, mind and body—approach to addiction diagnosis, management and treatment.
Here at Honey Lake Clinic, our experienced doctors and staff strongly believe that faith-based treatment, encompassing spiritual, physical and mental health, will help clients and their families bring spiritual power and clearer psychological understanding to their healing and recovery.