Heroin drought poster

Written by Nigel Brunsdon on 23 January 2011.

There has been a heroin drought in the UK (and elsewhere) since last November, as any heroin users and drugs workers will already know.

There are many related risks to this, not least of which is what happens when the purer heroin returns (which some areas are already saying is starting to happen). I've made a poster an leaflet highlighting some of these issues. You are (as always on this site) free to download and use these as you see fit.

We've had people turning up at services saying they have been using their normal amounts but on testing they are coming up negative for opiates, while this is an ideal opportunity to quit using there are also some other worrying aspects of the drought.

Cutting agents

We need to be pushing overdose messages as the MAIN PRIORITY

In an attempt to disguise the fact that the heroin is so poor many drug deals have even more of the usual cutting agents, although this can often be something to just 'bulk' the product, they are often substances that mimic the drug effects (for more on this topic see 'Cut-A Guide to Adulterants'). However one of the cuts that seems to be of most concern is the sedative Alprazolam.

For quite a while now on some drug forums there has been talk of the effects of taking heroin alongside Alprazolam, with quite a few users reporting very negative long lasting sedative effects. This is mainly due it seems to dose level. Of course though this is very different when you are deliberately seeking out this combination rather than having it because someone in the production chain decided to throw a load in to mask the lack of heroin. In the area I work we've had a few people admitted to intensive care as a result, this isn't unusual and seems to be happening over most of the UK.

Time to quit

Of course the fact that people are testing negative for heroin does mean that now may be a great time to quit using heroin all together. Especially as for some reason many people are NOT reporting intense withdrawals (possibly due to a mild placebo effect gained from th

e expectation of getting high when injecting). Drug services should be providing as much support as possible to help people get their head around the reasons they have for using (while they don't have the heroin levels in their system).

Overdose risk

When purer heroin returns (and it will) we are going to have a whole community of heroin users with reduced, if not zero, tolerance. In many cases peoples use will have even increased to try and make up for the poor heroin. We need to be pushing overdose messages as the MAIN PRIORITY, and by 'we' I of course mean all workers and all injectors.

This should be done with simple easy to remember (and pass on) messages like "inject a small amount first to test strength", "smoke new gear first rather than inject it" etc. It's also worth considering putting on Overdose Workshop sessions (you can use my free OD Workshop for this).