Heroin comes in various forms; pure heroin is a white powder. The wide color range of heroin is due to impurities left behind by the manufacturing process or the presence of additives. Heroin is typically a white or brownish powder or sold as a sticky black substance known as black tar heroin. It is composed of morphine, a natural substance contained in the pod of the Asian poppy plant. Some medical uses of heroin include treating acute pain, severe physical trauma, post-surgical pain, and chronic pain such as end-stage cancer and other life-threatening diseases. In other countries, it is more common to use morphine than heroin in these situations. In 2005, there was a shortage of heroin in the UK, due to a problem at the main UK producer. For this reason, many hospitals have started using morphine instead of heroin. Although there is no longer a problem with heroin production in the UK, some hospitals have continued to use morphine. The majority, however, continue to use heroin. Heroin tablets are given for pain management. Heroin continues to be widely used in the United Kingdom, where it is commonly administered to patients who cannot easily swallow oral morphine solution. The advantage of heroin over morphine is that heroin is more fat-soluble and therefore more potent when given only by injection, so a smaller dose is needed to achieve the same effect. The medical use of morphine is controlled in the UK by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. In the UK it is a Class A controlled drug, meaning there are guidelines relating to its administration, storage and destruction. Possession of heroin without a prescription is a punishable offence. When heroin is prescribed in a hospital or similar setting, its administration must be supervised by 2 people who... middle of paper... crave more. The user's physical reaction usually includes tremors, headache, drug cravings, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, inability to sleep, agitation, anxiety, and depression. Some types of medications require a medical detox period; others don't. Opiates, such as heroin and methadone, require medical detox. Prescription drugs require medically supervised detoxification. Other illegal drugs, such as methamphetamine, marijuana, and cocaine, do not require medical detox. Works Cited "Stories of Heroin Addiction - Why is Heroin So Addictive? - Drug Free World." Heroin Addiction Stories - Why Is Heroin So Addictive? - Drug-free world. Np, nd Web. April 16, 2014. “Symptoms and Effects of Heroin Addiction.” Heroin addiction. Np, nd Web. April 16, 2014. “Heroin Arguments.” Heroin detox. Np, nd Web. April 16, 2014. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation and Web. 16 April. 2014.