• dx1@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Heroin is not especially dissimilar to other opioids and was used medically for a long time before falling out of favor for other opioids with marginally less addictive potential. Has to do with its ease of crossing the blood-brain barrier. Black-market heroin is markedly less safe due variability in purity and adulterants, as well as the absence of medical supervision compounding with those factors to increase overdose risk.

      • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        Heroin is still used in some countries where they don’t have a lot of strong opioid options. It actually tends to agree with people better than even morphine at an equivalent dose.