The opium poppy was cultivated as long ago as 3400 BC. The main chemical or active ingredient in opium is codeine and morphine. Diacetylmorphine was first discovered in 1874 by C. R.Wright, who was at the time working for a Medical School in London. He had been experimenting with morphine which led to a stronger dug, now called diacetylmorphine. However this drug did not become popular until it was re synthesized by Felix Hoffman while working for what we now know as Bayer pharmaceutical. What happened is that an experiment was proposed by Heinrich Dreser to acetylate morphine with the objective of producing codeine, which is similar to morphine but less potent and thought to be not as addictive. Instead it did not work as planed the botched experiment produced a form of morphine two times more potent than morphine itself. We know it as heroin anyway in 1898 heroin was marketed as a cure for morphine addiction. In 1928 the United States outright banned its sales.
Since then people have been becoming addicted to illegal heroin. One way this is happening today is that Americans have taking a liking to smoking heroin. Our youth call it chasing the dragon a term which originated in Hong Kong many years ago. Smoking heroin can produce severe side effects like kidney and liver problems. It can also cause lung damage that can and does lead to fatal heart failure.
If you are smoking heroin and want help I would recommend that you look into going to heroin addiction treatment. Should you decide to go you will not have to worry heroin withdrawal which is a concern for most addicts. The reason I say this is because you will be medically detoxed. This process takes up to 5 days. When you are finished detoxing I strongly suggest that you continue your treatment with residential rehab. This will help to gain some necessary information on how not to use when you get out of rehab.
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