Where Does Heroin Come From?

Heroin is an illicit drug that does not originate in the United States. Today, most of the world’s supply of heroin is produced in Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, and Latin America.

Where heroin comes from depends on where you live. Most of the heroin in the United States comes from Mexico, Columbia, and sometimes Southeast Asia.

Learn more about heroin addiction and treatment

How Does Heroin Get Into The United States?

Heroin is substantially trafficked into the United States over the U.S.-Mexico border. This is mostly done by land, alongside legal cargo, unlike some illicit drugs usually transported by sea or by air.

Black tar heroin—a solid and unrefined form of heroin—is largely produced in Mexico.

Manufacturing Heroin

Heroin is a semi-synthetic drug. This means that it is partially derived from a naturally occurring substance. In this case, heroin is derived from morphine, a natural opiate.

Morphine is extracted from a milky, white fluid that comes from the seeds of opium poppy plants.

To make heroin, morphine is further refined through a manufacturing process that can involve several chemicals.

How Do People Get Heroin?

Heroin is illegal to buy, possess, or sell in the United States. Thus, to get heroin, people find a dealer who sells it through the unregulated drug market.

People who sell heroin will often cut it with other substances to dilute it, such as powdered milk, sugar, or other drugs like fentanyl and cocaine; This can be dangerous.

Taking high doses of heroin, or taking heroin mixed with other drugs, can lead to a life-threatening overdose. If you or a loved one is using heroin, this may be a sign of opioid dependence or addiction.

Getting Help For Heroin Addiction

Heroin can be a dangerous drug, no matter where it comes from. Heroin is unregulated by the government, meaning it can contain any number of additives or be cut with other drugs.

Spring Hill Recovery Center offers residential rehab and intensive outpatient treatment for people who have become addicted to heroin and need help to stop.

Don’t wait. Call Spring Hill today to find out whether our heroin addiction treatment program in Massachusetts is right for you.