10. Heroine
Street names: Smack, Skag, Horse, H, Gear
UNODP estimates that global heroin production was 526 tonnes. In America 681,000 people used heroin in 2013. Heroin is made from morphine extracted from poppy plants. Morphine chemical structure is similar to endorphins, chemicals in the brain that influence our mood and perception of pain. Morphine binds to endorphin-receptor sending signal that there is endorphin overload. When heroin users stop taking the drug, the level of endorphin goes down which is why they experience intense physical pain in initial stages of abstention. Heroin is an extremely dangerous drug, and survival rate among users is only 50 percents. The number of heroin-related deaths in 2013 was highest in a decade – 8,257 people died because of heroin use.
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