Heroin

Brief Description:
An addictive drug that is processed from morphine and usually appears as a white or brown powder.

Street Names:
Smack, H, ska, junk, and many others.

Effects:
Short-term effects include a surge of euphoria followed by alternately wakeful and drowsy states and cloudy mental functioning. Associated with fatal overdose and- particularly in users who inject the druginfectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Long-term users may develop collapsed veins, liver disease, and lung complications.

Statistics and Trends:
NIDA's 2005 Monitoring the Future study showed that 1.5% of 10th and 12th graders had used heroin at least once. Source: NIDA Infofacts: High School and Youth Trends.

View Complete Report:
http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/heroin.html