A.K.A: Smack, Brown, Dope, Horse
Heroin is a strong opioid drug made from the opium poppy. In New Zealand, ‘homebake heroin’ refers to heroin produced from pharmaceutical codeine or morphine.
Heroin is a depressant, meaning it slows down your brain and body functions. It can make you feel euphoric, warm, and sleepy and temporarily relieve pain. Heroin can also make you feel groggy, itchy, and nauseous and cause slowed breathing and loss of consciousness. As heroin is about 4x as strong as morphine, it carries a high risk of overdose.
Caution
Overseas, particularly in North America, heroin is commonly laced with the powerful and dangerous opioid, fentanyl. This has resulted in over 100,000 deaths over the past several years. While New Zealand doesn’t currently have an opioid epidemic, it is still recommended that people using heroin consider fentanyl testing their drugs before using.
As harm reduction advocates in Aotearoa push for better naloxone access, we look for lessons across the ditch.
Significant growth in drug checking availability and uptake is helping to prevent harm in more parts of the community.
Nearly 1 in 5 drugs checked were different from what was expected.