Description of the drug Heroin (Essay Sample)

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Heroin
National Institute of Drug Abuse states that heroin falls under opioid drugs long side painkillers such as oxycontin and Vicodin. The drug is the by-product of synthesized morphine, a substance that occurs naturally through the extraction from Asian opium poppy plant seedpod. The physical appearance of the drug varies from white or brown powder to a black sticky substance. Research indicates that by 2011, 1.6 % of American population had at least tested heroin in their lifetime, 23 % of this group had become dependent on the drug.
According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, administration of heroin into the body system takes place using two routes, intravenous injection and inhalation by snorting, smoking or sniffing. Heroin gravely affects the brain. Once in the body system, the drug travels up to the brain, where it is converted back into morphine. National Institute of Drug Abuse further asserts that opioids receptors found in the brain have high affinity for morphine thus binds immediately with the substance. Opioids receptors are found in various parts of the brain and the body, especially the part of the brain involved in the perception of pain, rewards and reflex functions such as respiration, arousal and blood pressure. Excessive consumption of heroin suppress these functions, which may prove fatal. The consequences of repetitive use of the drug are tolerance and dependence.
The topic has numerous impacts in an individual’s life as explained by National Institute of Drug Abuse. The topic furnishes one with the knowledge of what the drug is and its characteristics, such information is valuable and comes handy when drug peddlers or robb...