In The Beginning
In the late to mid 1800's opium was popular drug. Opium is the main precursor of the heroin, and first came to America on the backs of Chinese immigrants who came to the United States to work on the railroads. Spending time in opium dens was a popular pastime in America until they were banned in 1875 on suspicion than Chinese men were taking of white women while they were under the influence of opium.
Who Created it and When
Heroin was first synthesized from morphine in 1847 by English scientist C.R. Wright, it was originally advertised as a powerful, non-addictive alternative to morphine; it was sold to pharmacies and hospitals, it filled many market gaps, and was praised as a medical miracle until it was discovered in 1909 that it was twice as addictive as morphine, and had terrible, unpredictable side-affects.
What it Was Used For
When heroin was first used is was considered a cheaper form of morphine but they had no idea that it was so addictive, and that it has more dangerous chemicals in it compared to morphine . People believed that heroin was less addictive than morphine so it started to gain more of a following until it was proven addictive. |
Heroin Prohibition
Heroin prohibition started when the Heroin Act of 1924 was put into place to make it illegal to possess or manufacture heroin.
Heroin Production
Heroin Production starts with the Opium Poppy, or Papaver Somniferum. (Which is illegal to grow so don't try it smart guy). According to the National Geographic Society 90% of heroin comes from opium grown in Afghanistan. At the end of the growing season, poppy pods are lanced, causing them to ooze opium sap. This sap is then purified through the medium of boiling water, the pure opium is then boiled in water again this time with slaked lime (tortilla cal) converting the water insoluble raw morphine alkaloids in the opium, into a morphine salt, which dissolves in water. The morphine salt solution is then siphoned off, leaving the base necessary for other opiates, such as Vicodin, Methadone, and Codeine. Cleaning ammonia is then added to the morphine salt solution to take the morphine salt out of solution, the morphine rich precipitate produced by this process is then dissolved in sulfuric acid to leave morphine sulfate, if done correctly, this substance would be identical to that used in hospitals, however it rarely is, and most field labs produce more of an impure morphine potent sludge. (K. Narayanaswami)
The morphine is then dissolved in acetic anhydride, filtered, and treated with soda ash and charcoal to produce heroin base. This base is then dissolved and treated with ethyl alcohol, ether, and hydrochloric acid simultaneously, this process usually ends in a gigantic explosion in which a man may lose both his basement, and even his life. So don't try it smartguy. Assuming both producer and product survive, the heroin is brought to American and European streets, where it is cut, and sold at massive costs to both the user, and greater society. (K. Narayanaswami) *Certain steps have been omitted from this process for your own saftey DO NOT ATTEMPT |