Black Tar Heroin

What is Black Tar Heroin?

All forms of heroin are obtained from morphine, a powerful opioid painkiller.  Heroin users are usually nonviolent, but they often waste savings and assets to purchase heroin to support their habit.  When all possible sources of income are drained, users may solicit or become low-level drug distributors to help their drug addiction.  Some even commit burglary and robbery to get the money needed to buy the drug.  [1]

Mexican black tar heroin is the prevailing type distributed by African American and Hispanic gangs.  The heroin is usually packaged in small balloons and is generally kept in the dealer’s mouth during deals.  Mexican black tar is the most widespread type of heroin available in the Central District. Los Angeles serves as a major distribution center and transshipment point for Mexican black tar and brown powdered heroin destined for California and different U.S. cities.

What does black tar heroin smell like?

The smell of heroin can be one of its defining characteristics, as people often say it has a strong vinegar-like smell. In many cases, black tar heroin smells more strongly of vinegar and this is because of the chemical processes that are used to make it. Higher-quality heroin that’s purer tends to have been washed after it’s synthesized, so it may have minimal odor. Black tar heroin, since it is less pure and may have additives, will usually have a stronger smell.

Depending on what it’s mixed with, the black tar heroin smell may differ from batch to batch slightly, but regardless of what the exact smell seems like, it will still be more pungent than purer heroin.

Can you smoke black tar heroin?

Basic methods of use for heroin include smoking or injecting the drug.  In some instances, heroin is snorted, but it’s not as common as other methods of ingestion.  Since the drug can dissolve in the water quite fast, injection drug use is more common.  Paraphernalia commonly associated with injecting heroin include:

Users who smoke heroin often use a lighter to burn the substance after placing it on a small piece of aluminum foil.  Then, they will usually inhale the substance through some small funneling object.

Black Tar Heroine Effects

When heroin enters the system, it swiftly gets to the brain, changing back into morphine.  It can bring on a sense of euphoria in a user, which is the main reason for the popularity of this particular drug.  Other short-term effects include:

Black Tar Heroin Long-Term Effects

Using black tar heroin only once can be dangerous.  However, the long-term effects it produces on the brain and body can also be severe.

The use of any heroin, including black tar heroin, is hazardous to one’s health.  For instance, injecting the drug intravenously can lead to venous sclerosis, which results in the narrowing and hardening of veins. This can make it very tough for a user to inject the drug into that same vein in the future.  Eventually, veins can collapse altogether, leading users to inject the drug elsewhere on the body, even into muscle.

Bacterial infection is another serious health risk connected with the use of black tar heroin.  Infections, such as necrotizing fasciitis, can be life-threatening in a short amount of time due to how quickly they can expand.  [4]

Wound botulism, another disease caused by bacteria, can also occur from black tar heroin use;  most clients treated for this condition are heroin users.  [5]  If untreated, wound botulism can lead to paralysis and even death.  There is no cure, but symptoms can be handled if prompt care is sought.

Wound botulism (WB) is a potentially lethal, descending, flaccid paralysis that results when Clostridium botulinum spores germinate in a wound and elaborate neurotoxin.  Since 1988, California has experienced a dramatic increase in WB associated with injecting “black tar” heroin.   [6]

Injection of BTH intramuscularly or subcutaneously is the primary risk factor for the development of WB.  Therefore, physicians in the western United States, where BTH is widely used, should be aware of the potential for wound botulism to occur among us.

Signs of Overdose from Black Tar Heroin

While heroin overdoses aren’t always deadly, they have the potential to be.  For instance, the first dose of this powerful drug may cause an overdose, or an addicted person may overdose on it after abusing it for many years.

Symptoms Of Heroin Addiction

The people addicted to heroin once started by using a prescription opioid. After they’ve grown addicted and their prescription has run out, many turn to purchasing the drug illicitly. After desperation sets in a will, they turn to heroin, a cheaper and more potent alternative. Black tar heroin is generally more affordable and accessible in the Central and Western United States than white heroin and many other opioid options. Unfortunately, this continues to develop from the stigma around addiction. Despite it being a natural, biological response to the introduction of different medications, society still views it as some form of weakness, making it hard for those suffering to come forward. [7]

Treatment for Black Tar Heroin Addiction

If you are addicted to drugs, your first step in recovery should be to medical opioid detox in a safe and medically supervised setting.  That is why We Level Up is here for you.  We Level Up TX Detox center medically assist patients in clearing their systems of addictive substances, such as black tar heroin.

When a person begins to withdraw from the drug, they may feel ill and have flu-like symptoms.

Black Tar Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms

For anyone who suffers from addiction, we know that just the thought of having to stop using can cause severe mental distress.  Given that, the medical detox center will help you manage the medical detox process.  In addition, a comprehensive team prescribing medications can alleviate your withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours.  Thus, assuring both your safety and comfort.

At We Level Up TX, our thorough approach to rehabilitation supports several levels of care to ensure the best possible outcome for every patient who enters our doors.  From an intensive and more supportive atmosphere for those in the early days of recovery to a comfortable residential-style living dynamic upon completion of black tar heroin detox, we are here to help guide you down the safe and results-based path to your sobriety.

Call today to speak with one of our treatment specialists. Your call is private and confidential, and there is never any obligation.