Opioids Chicago dope thread
- Thread starter drunkendJesus
- Start date
[h=2]Heroin in brown, black and white[/h]
Complicating this portrayal of the political economy of heroin is the fact that different global sources of heroin produce substantially different products. Source and type of heroin are structural factors in the risk environment of heroin users: source dictates distribution and type predicts practice. How specific types of heroin are used and with what risk is therefore distributed geographically.
To restate an earlier theme, heroin production source and retail market have become increasingly intertwined: heroin from Colombia and Mexico is sold exclusively in the US; heroin from the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, once smuggled throughout the world, is currently limited to Australia and Canada; and heroin originating from poppies grown in Afghanistan and refined in Pakistan (Southwest Asia) is sold predominantly in Europe. Furthermore, there is regional distribution in the US: Colombian heroin prevails in the eastern US, while heroin from Mexico is found almost exclusively in the western US. These routes have been shaped by competition and supply control efforts complicated by liberalized global trade. There is no evidence that these trade routes are shaped at all by consumer demand.
Heroin has several characteristics that affect how it is used and even how it is distributed: colour, physical state; water solubility, pH balance, heat stability, weight/volume and purity (Ciccarone & Bourgois, 2003). The colour palette of heroin is summed in the title of this paper: brown, black and white; with a high degree of spectral variability. The extremes of black and white are heroins stereotypically coming from Mexico and Southeast Asia, respectively. Brown heroin can come from any of the source regions, but typically is seen coming from Southwest Asia. Physically, most of the world’s heroin is in powdered form; the only exception being the solid form of heroin coming from Mexico called “black tar” heroin. Water solubility varies, with type-4 heroin, a highly purified heroin traditionally stemming from Southeast Asia, having the highest water solubility. On the acid–base spectrum, the chemically basic form (pH > 7) of heroin comes exclusively from Afghanistan/Pakistan; all other heroin forms are in a chemically acidic (pH < 7) form. The basic form of heroin is heat stable; it therefore begins to burn and subsequently vaporize (sublime) at a higher temperature. Black tar heroin also appears somewhat heat stable. Powdered heroin, again most the world’s heroin, is light with minimal volume by weight. Light weight/low volume heroin is distributed, as one would expect, over greater distances, usually by air transport, than the one solid heroin—black tar heroin. The heavier weight and higher volume black tar heroin is only distributed to the US and mostly by land routes. Distribution at the retail level also varies by physical form of heroin: powered heroins are sold in glassine folds or tiny plastic zip baggies, while solid black heroin is wrapped in plastic and sealed in tiny balloons for sale (unpublished data). Finally, heroin purity, while highly variable, seems to have some limits by form: black tar heroin seems to plateau at about 25–30% pure (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2000), which may have a purity limit based on manufacturing.
To sum up source and heroin type: Southeast Asian heroin is stereotypically white, powdered, highly water soluble and acidic; Southwest Asian heroin is typically a brown coarse powder with poor water solubility (until acidified from its basic form by the addition of an acid) and good heat stability; Colombian heroin is off-white to light brown, powdered and acidic with good water solubility; Mexican heroin is dark brown to black, solid, vaporisable, of lower purity and despite its acidity, requires heat to go into aqueous solution.
As function follows form, drug use patterns are highly suggested by heroin type. A heroin injector in Europe quickly learns that the locally available heroin does not simply dissolve; placing the basic heroin into water and heating or shaking would produce bubbles that would be difficult, if not dangerous, to inject. Rather, a new user of Southwest Asian heroin would, perhaps, learn to smoke it first followed in time by a ritualized use of citric, acetic, or ascorbic acid and heat to aid solubility in the pursuit of injection. “Chasing the dragon,” a form of smoking in which heroin is inhaled as it is vaporized off a sheet of creased metal foil—the shape of smoke symbolising the idiom, has been documented in Europe after spreading from Asia (Strang, Griffiths, & Gossop, 1997). Interestingly, heroin smoking in Asia involved either the addition of a base to the acidic heroin, forming a heat stable salt, or the use of a cruder form—type-3 heroin. In the US there is little evidence of heroin smoking (Strang et al., 1997), despite the “smokablity” of black tar heroin. Perhaps the acidity of this form irritates users’ mucous membranes and no cultural tradition has enabled the use of a basic additive to aid in smoking black tar heroin.
Nasal inhalation, or insufflation, of heroin has two specific heroin-form-related techniques: powdered heroin can be snorted dry, or misted as a solution, while solid heroin can only be misted. Typically, black tar heroin is dissolved in water and placed into a medical spray bottle for insufflation. This technique is not popular among black tar heroin users, or used for long, as it is reportedly irritating (unpublished data). US public treatment admissions data suggest an increase in heroin inhalation and smoking during the 1990s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Office of Applied Studies, 2004). Most heroin inhalation treatment admissions were in the US Northeast, with only 3% coming from the West. The lower purity, and perhaps irritability, of black tar heroin may limit the popularity of this route of administration.
As risk-taking follows function and form, the spectrum of public health concerns has some correlation with heroin source/form. HIV prevalence among injection drug users is much higher in cities with powder heroin than in cities where black tar heroin is endemic (Ciccarone & Bourgois, 2003). This hypothesis extends back to the 1980s, prior to the dominance of Colombian heroin, when powdered heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia was exclusive to the eastern US and HIV prevalence was on the rise. One might suspect that black tar heroin reduces HIV transmission at the population level because it can be smoked or insufflated, but that has not been documented. Rather, the need to heat this solid heroin into solution, combined with the ritual residue rinsing that has been observed, likely accounts for the observed variation in HIV prevalence. In addition, black tar heroin appears to induce venous scarring and users migrate to injecting it subcutaneously or intramuscularly (unpublished data); routes that have lower HIV transmission potential (Rich, Dickinson, Carney, Fisher, & Heimer, 1998). Speculatively, we might expect lower HIV prevalence in those regions in which brown heroin predominates. The reasons for this include its ability to be smoked, the use of acid to aid in solubility (e.g. acid should reduce the viability of HIV and self mixing of the acid may lead to lower pH than that seen with heroin in its acid form); and finally, brown heroin is associated with soft tissue infections, which suggests subcutaneous use.
The risk of bacterial infections is well established with heroin use. Heroin use is associated with blood disseminated bacterial infections, e.g., endocarditis, and osteomyelitis (Gordon and Lowy, 2005). Recently, there has been renewed interest in bacterial skin and soft tissue infections and their relationship to use of black tar heroin (Ebright & Pieper, 2002). Black tar heroin has been associated with wound botulism (Passaro,Werner, McGee, Mac Kenzie, & Vugia, 1998; Werner, Passaro, McGee, Schechter, & Vugia, 2000), necrotizing fasciitis (Kimura et al., 2004), tetanus (Bardenheier, Prevots, Khetsuriani, & Wharton, 1998) and soft tissue infections (Binswanger, Kral, Bluthenthal, Rybold, & Edlin, 2000; Ciccarone et al., 2001; Harris & Young, 2002; Murphy et al., 2001). These infections may be due to contamination of the heroin form or by function of subcutaneous injection in users with heroin-scarred veins. Clostridium species, e.g., those bacteria that cause botulism and tetanus, may be able to survive the harsh chemical environment of black tar heroin by forming spores; indeed, these spores may be made more viable by the heating required to solubilise tar heroin. There have also been reports of Clostridium infections among users in the UK (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000) and subcutaneous injection and/or contamination are suspected risk factors (Williamson, Archibald, & Van Vliet, 2001).
Complicating this portrayal of the political economy of heroin is the fact that different global sources of heroin produce substantially different products. Source and type of heroin are structural factors in the risk environment of heroin users: source dictates distribution and type predicts practice. How specific types of heroin are used and with what risk is therefore distributed geographically.
To restate an earlier theme, heroin production source and retail market have become increasingly intertwined: heroin from Colombia and Mexico is sold exclusively in the US; heroin from the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, once smuggled throughout the world, is currently limited to Australia and Canada; and heroin originating from poppies grown in Afghanistan and refined in Pakistan (Southwest Asia) is sold predominantly in Europe. Furthermore, there is regional distribution in the US: Colombian heroin prevails in the eastern US, while heroin from Mexico is found almost exclusively in the western US. These routes have been shaped by competition and supply control efforts complicated by liberalized global trade. There is no evidence that these trade routes are shaped at all by consumer demand.
Heroin has several characteristics that affect how it is used and even how it is distributed: colour, physical state; water solubility, pH balance, heat stability, weight/volume and purity (Ciccarone & Bourgois, 2003). The colour palette of heroin is summed in the title of this paper: brown, black and white; with a high degree of spectral variability. The extremes of black and white are heroins stereotypically coming from Mexico and Southeast Asia, respectively. Brown heroin can come from any of the source regions, but typically is seen coming from Southwest Asia. Physically, most of the world’s heroin is in powdered form; the only exception being the solid form of heroin coming from Mexico called “black tar” heroin. Water solubility varies, with type-4 heroin, a highly purified heroin traditionally stemming from Southeast Asia, having the highest water solubility. On the acid–base spectrum, the chemically basic form (pH > 7) of heroin comes exclusively from Afghanistan/Pakistan; all other heroin forms are in a chemically acidic (pH < 7) form. The basic form of heroin is heat stable; it therefore begins to burn and subsequently vaporize (sublime) at a higher temperature. Black tar heroin also appears somewhat heat stable. Powdered heroin, again most the world’s heroin, is light with minimal volume by weight. Light weight/low volume heroin is distributed, as one would expect, over greater distances, usually by air transport, than the one solid heroin—black tar heroin. The heavier weight and higher volume black tar heroin is only distributed to the US and mostly by land routes. Distribution at the retail level also varies by physical form of heroin: powered heroins are sold in glassine folds or tiny plastic zip baggies, while solid black heroin is wrapped in plastic and sealed in tiny balloons for sale (unpublished data). Finally, heroin purity, while highly variable, seems to have some limits by form: black tar heroin seems to plateau at about 25–30% pure (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2000), which may have a purity limit based on manufacturing.
To sum up source and heroin type: Southeast Asian heroin is stereotypically white, powdered, highly water soluble and acidic; Southwest Asian heroin is typically a brown coarse powder with poor water solubility (until acidified from its basic form by the addition of an acid) and good heat stability; Colombian heroin is off-white to light brown, powdered and acidic with good water solubility; Mexican heroin is dark brown to black, solid, vaporisable, of lower purity and despite its acidity, requires heat to go into aqueous solution.
As function follows form, drug use patterns are highly suggested by heroin type. A heroin injector in Europe quickly learns that the locally available heroin does not simply dissolve; placing the basic heroin into water and heating or shaking would produce bubbles that would be difficult, if not dangerous, to inject. Rather, a new user of Southwest Asian heroin would, perhaps, learn to smoke it first followed in time by a ritualized use of citric, acetic, or ascorbic acid and heat to aid solubility in the pursuit of injection. “Chasing the dragon,” a form of smoking in which heroin is inhaled as it is vaporized off a sheet of creased metal foil—the shape of smoke symbolising the idiom, has been documented in Europe after spreading from Asia (Strang, Griffiths, & Gossop, 1997). Interestingly, heroin smoking in Asia involved either the addition of a base to the acidic heroin, forming a heat stable salt, or the use of a cruder form—type-3 heroin. In the US there is little evidence of heroin smoking (Strang et al., 1997), despite the “smokablity” of black tar heroin. Perhaps the acidity of this form irritates users’ mucous membranes and no cultural tradition has enabled the use of a basic additive to aid in smoking black tar heroin.
Nasal inhalation, or insufflation, of heroin has two specific heroin-form-related techniques: powdered heroin can be snorted dry, or misted as a solution, while solid heroin can only be misted. Typically, black tar heroin is dissolved in water and placed into a medical spray bottle for insufflation. This technique is not popular among black tar heroin users, or used for long, as it is reportedly irritating (unpublished data). US public treatment admissions data suggest an increase in heroin inhalation and smoking during the 1990s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Office of Applied Studies, 2004). Most heroin inhalation treatment admissions were in the US Northeast, with only 3% coming from the West. The lower purity, and perhaps irritability, of black tar heroin may limit the popularity of this route of administration.
As risk-taking follows function and form, the spectrum of public health concerns has some correlation with heroin source/form. HIV prevalence among injection drug users is much higher in cities with powder heroin than in cities where black tar heroin is endemic (Ciccarone & Bourgois, 2003). This hypothesis extends back to the 1980s, prior to the dominance of Colombian heroin, when powdered heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia was exclusive to the eastern US and HIV prevalence was on the rise. One might suspect that black tar heroin reduces HIV transmission at the population level because it can be smoked or insufflated, but that has not been documented. Rather, the need to heat this solid heroin into solution, combined with the ritual residue rinsing that has been observed, likely accounts for the observed variation in HIV prevalence. In addition, black tar heroin appears to induce venous scarring and users migrate to injecting it subcutaneously or intramuscularly (unpublished data); routes that have lower HIV transmission potential (Rich, Dickinson, Carney, Fisher, & Heimer, 1998). Speculatively, we might expect lower HIV prevalence in those regions in which brown heroin predominates. The reasons for this include its ability to be smoked, the use of acid to aid in solubility (e.g. acid should reduce the viability of HIV and self mixing of the acid may lead to lower pH than that seen with heroin in its acid form); and finally, brown heroin is associated with soft tissue infections, which suggests subcutaneous use.
The risk of bacterial infections is well established with heroin use. Heroin use is associated with blood disseminated bacterial infections, e.g., endocarditis, and osteomyelitis (Gordon and Lowy, 2005). Recently, there has been renewed interest in bacterial skin and soft tissue infections and their relationship to use of black tar heroin (Ebright & Pieper, 2002). Black tar heroin has been associated with wound botulism (Passaro,Werner, McGee, Mac Kenzie, & Vugia, 1998; Werner, Passaro, McGee, Schechter, & Vugia, 2000), necrotizing fasciitis (Kimura et al., 2004), tetanus (Bardenheier, Prevots, Khetsuriani, & Wharton, 1998) and soft tissue infections (Binswanger, Kral, Bluthenthal, Rybold, & Edlin, 2000; Ciccarone et al., 2001; Harris & Young, 2002; Murphy et al., 2001). These infections may be due to contamination of the heroin form or by function of subcutaneous injection in users with heroin-scarred veins. Clostridium species, e.g., those bacteria that cause botulism and tetanus, may be able to survive the harsh chemical environment of black tar heroin by forming spores; indeed, these spores may be made more viable by the heating required to solubilise tar heroin. There have also been reports of Clostridium infections among users in the UK (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000) and subcutaneous injection and/or contamination are suspected risk factors (Williamson, Archibald, & Van Vliet, 2001).
FarrakhansDream666
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2016
- Messages
- 220
^^^somewhat true, east coast doesn't just get Columbian dope anymore, in fact most of it is Mexican. They have been getting better chemist to make a better product and it's more like what the Columbians were pushing.
Well I fuckin doubt it but any of the old hella old homies up on here? Transe? Itchy? Good times? Woa? Chinky I know we've never talked but I remember seeing your posts on here when I first started on BL 3 4 years ago. Well for anyone that gives a shit haven't posted in over a year cuz I'm still in Colorado. Make it home to chi every now and then and jab it up. On the tar game out here which is what it is. But seasoned in this shit like we all are I've found a good Rythem, I mean shit sucks being a slave but someone's gotta be an Opiate conisuser. How is the chi? Is Evanston still a pain in the ass to copp? My moms is in wilmette by the purple line but now in my 30's and still very white i don't get off like I used to when I lived there hopping off the blue line talking to the first dude that said "yerp" to me.... man what id do for a jab.... pink panths? Stay hi's? Shit listen to me reminsing prolly purple unicorn bags now eh? Congress exit on 294 still hot (in a good way) all though Jon snow would say winter is coming and that's when in chi town we'd say "get a damn PC"
Nothing but love for the nodd squad new and old, hell of a life we chose and hope you are choosing it not the other way around. (Sorry smoked weed today)
Show me picks of good blows! Tar sucks ass Dick
Nothing but love for the nodd squad new and old, hell of a life we chose and hope you are choosing it not the other way around. (Sorry smoked weed today)
Show me picks of good blows! Tar sucks ass Dick
After being clean for a min ive been dabbling for the last month or so but haven't been able to find anything good. Then i meet this dude a block away from where i usually cop. First i thought he was part of that crew till he handed me foils, this spot hasn't had foils for years. So i got his number when back once same quality but now his phones been shut off for the last few days. Hopefully it gets turned back on that other shits not even worth it.
chinky
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2008
- Messages
- 9,799
What's good bro..yeah I don't even know who's on here anyore but I used to run this shit and cause a lot of trouble.."ahhh the good old days" lol
I went home a few months back and got some bags from my guy who said he gets fire and I swear I couldn't get high off his blows while my boy is nodding his ass off lol. Here in atl, we get nothing but raw and I swear that shit is the best dope yout ever had..Gs for the price of a jab..
I wanna know why yall dont fuck with raw? I know we have raw in IL but yall like to go to the city..go to the south burbs and get the raw..it's way better and way safer
Hey chinky. Good to see you post again on the good ole chi dope thread. I know we really havent had any interactions but we all know who our favorite posters poster is lol. As far as the raw goes here in illinois i feel like its hard to find a steady, reliable, long term connection for it. Also, if you do find one its seems like something always happens and the connect is gone before you know it. Im curious how does the raw from IL compare to the raw in ATL? I feel like dealers are just so greedy now that instead of giving their customers good raw they would rather make bags put a lil fent in the mix and make there customers loyal with how "strong" it is on top of making a lot more money than just selling the straight up raw. Ive noticed quite a few IV users actually prefer pre-mixed bags because they say its more bang for your buck and also gives a better high with the cut rather then just raw. Who knows im just rambling lol. Hope yall be safe and have a good night.
deadfl0wers
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2017
- Messages
- 9
Me!! @portz75
deadfl0wers
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2017
- Messages
- 9
West suburbs represent. Anyone ever been to banyan?
No... I know that one ex-junkie dude pushes Banyan really hard ( i think)... I forget his name. Im weary of anyone pushing ANYTHING hard, cuz you know they are making money offa it, whicha brings into question their motives. Gateway is pretty popular tho. They have multiple locations.
deadfl0wers
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2017
- Messages
- 9
Lol Tim Ryan. I know him. He got fired from banyan he works for transformations now
How /why did he get fired? There was a lot of publicity for him, but I just never could trust that dude, it seemed like his intentions were making money, not helping people. He just came off as sleazy... Maybe im wrong, and thats my junkie instinct not to trust anyone
deadfl0wers
Greenlighter
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- Jul 3, 2017
- Messages
- 9
I never really asked him. I want to but don’t know how to bring it up... he’s actually a pretty cool dude but I totally get why you get that impression. I felt that way about him too when I first met him
drunkendJesus
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2014
- Messages
- 66
What up fuckers!
Been a minute. God, where to begin...
Got a steady connect in Peoria, ended up moving up there. Did the scrape and hustle thing for about a year. Landed a decent job, got on 'done, stayed clean about 2 years...
Age old story, lost the job, had to jump 135mg done cold turkey. Little dope here and there to beat the worst of the withdrawals. I'm currently fucking with kratom and lope to make it through the days.
(Un) fortunately I lost all my contacts, so even with cash in hand I can't even score a dub.
Fml. Haha
I'm still alive, at least,,,,
Been a minute. God, where to begin...
Got a steady connect in Peoria, ended up moving up there. Did the scrape and hustle thing for about a year. Landed a decent job, got on 'done, stayed clean about 2 years...
Age old story, lost the job, had to jump 135mg done cold turkey. Little dope here and there to beat the worst of the withdrawals. I'm currently fucking with kratom and lope to make it through the days.
(Un) fortunately I lost all my contacts, so even with cash in hand I can't even score a dub.
Fml. Haha
I'm still alive, at least,,,,
ChiCityLEGEND
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2015
- Messages
- 149
Damn, my whole rant got deleted. I'll sum it up briefly: fuck withdrawals, fuck the tips and the dealers, fuck fentynal, fuck the cops, fuck the people looking to set you up. Fuck rehabs and sober living homes, fuck Aa and na, fuck detox centers. I want my life to be stress and drama free. Dope attracts Bulls hit. Stay up ppl.
ChiCityLEGEND
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2015
- Messages
- 149
I'm essentially a functioning addict that's trying to get clean and sober. I'm sick of all the Bullshit that is an accessory to dope no matter what. You can't escape it. There's always some drama that surrounds your life when you let dope be a guest in your head. Stay alive, stay focused and you can have the world and all the beauty it has to offer.