9781422279656

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The Heroin Crisis

which controls important processes, such as blood pressure and breathing. As a result, the effects of heroin include:

• increased analgesia, or reduction of pain sensations; • feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and decreased alert- ness; and • slowed respiration (breathing) and heartbeat. The effects of heroin depend on several factors. These include how much of the drug a person takes, and the way in which the drug is administered. Heroin acts faster, and its effects are stronger, when it is injected. If the user sniffs (“snorts”) a powdered version of the drug or inhales vapors after heating or smoking heroin, the drug takes longer to reach the brain and its effects are weaker. The synthetic opioid fentanyl tends to depress a person’s respiration much more than heroin. This increases the risk of an accidental overdose. Sometimes, fentanyl is added to low- quality heroin to increase its potency. In other cases, a person

Did You Know?

Scientists have found three types of opioid receptors on the nerve cells. They are named after letters in the Greek alphabet—mu, delta, and kappa receptors. Each of these receptors plays a different role. For example, mu receptors are responsible for opioids’ pleasurable effects and their ability to relieve pain.