AN ASSESSMENT OF INHALATION AS A MODE OF ADMINISTRATION OF HEROIN BY ADDICTS

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, and Department of Physiology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Long term male addicts with established drug dependence were used to study the efficiency of two modes of inhaling heroin, viz. "dragon chasing" (inhalation of the fumes resulting from heating a combination of heroin and barbital on a piece of foil) and "ack ack" (smoking of cigarettes containing heroin powder). The 24-hr urinary excretion of heroin as free and conjugated morphine (total morphine) for 3 consecutive days was compared in addicts given fixed amounts of heroin by intravenous injection, dragon chasing and ack ack. In 16 intravenous addicts the mean percentage of recovery of heroin as total morphine was 68% of the given dose, in 35 dragon chasers 26% and in 14 ack ackers 14%. Thus, based on urinary excretion values of heroin as total morphine, the efficiency of dragon chasing is about two-fifths that of intravenous injection and twice that of ack ack. Under laboratory conditions simulating dragon chasing and ack ack, the temperature for volatilizing heroin was found to be the important factor in limiting the recovery of total morphine in urine. At temperatures below or slightly above the melting point of heroin hydrochloride (244°C), increases in temperature increase heroin volatility and hence its availability. At high temperatures (746°C) of a burning cigarette such as in ack ack, extensive decomposition of heroin occurs and its availability is decreased. The addition of barbital in dragon chasing appears to increase heroin availability by inhibiting the decomposition of heroin and by facilitating its volatilization. The maximum amount of heroin approximated to be available in dragon chasing was 75% and in ack ack was 30%.