OFFICIAL NAMES: Heroin (diacetylmorphine)

STREET NAMES: H, horse, boy, smack, stuff, mud, dope, tar, black tar, dragon fire, king kong, cat woman, hat man, TNT, white skull, body bag, creeper, shake, treat, cap, spoon, slag, dragon, mac, heron, chiva, china white, monkey, magic, lady, tammy, manteca, diesel, turkey

DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS: Schedule I, narcotic

Overview

According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, worldwide production of opium has doubled since the mid-1980s. The result has been easier and cheaper access to the drug and worsening social problems, such as crime, associated with its abuse. Derived from opium, heroin is a highly addictive drug, and its use is a serious and growing problem. Rising purity levels and lower prices have fueled heroin's popularity.

The widely held misconception that snorting or smoking it is "less addictive" than intravenous injection lures new young users. Any ingestion of...