Friday, May 17, 2013

Heroin in the United States: Where does it come from, how much does it cost and how pure is it?


I recently read an interesting paper on the US heroin market. Ever wondered where does the heroin in the US come from, how pure it is or how much it costs? This paper answers those questions. I summarize the salient points in this post. The paper with a link to the pdf can be found here:

The Entry of Colombian Heroin into the US Market: The Relationship between Competition, Price, and Purity. Daniel Rosenblum , Jay Unick†, Daniel Ciccarone‡ April 8, 2013 [Link]


Where Does it Come From?
In the US heroin is largely supplied from two source countries, Mexico and Colombia. Colombian heroin made its way onto the US market in the early 1990's, and has since dominated the east coast. The introduction of Colombian heroin also coincided with a significant drop in price.
How Pure is it?

Heroin is usually found as a hydrochloride salt or free base (HCL/B - 82% samples), a grey or white powder sometimes called "china white". Occasionally it comes in other forms such as "black tar", in this paper these samples were labeled salt undetermined (HSU - 16% samples). Purity estimates are for retail amounts from 0.1 to 1.0 grams. Generally the HSU heroin is less pure with the majority of samples below 40% pure. Though more pure on average than HSU heroin, HCL/B heroin has a very evenly distributed purity. Samples range from high to low purity, I guess it depends on where you buy. 

How much does it cost?

Heroin is sold either as individual doses, usually in $10 "bags", or by weight. When sold by weight retail amounts are in fractions of a gram, 1/2 grams, 1/4 grams and 1/10th of a gram (a "point"). Visit a blog devoted to dope bags here. Pictured are several "bags" of heroin, which is an individual dose packaged in wax paper stamped with a logo. The stamp name often comes from popular culture and allows dealers to develop a brand. Also pictured is HCL/B powder, and HSU "black tar" heroin. 
As expected there is some variation in the price of a non-pure gram of heroin. However from the distribution we can see that most heroin costs less than $200 per non-pure gram, and the vast majority below $400. HCL heroin is more expensive, which is consistent with its higher quality. 

Price per pure gram.

The price of heroin has been steadily declining since the 1990's. Nationally the price per pure gram for HCL/ B heroin (the most common type) is about $500. There is significant variation regionally as the final graph demonstrates. It is safe to say that most users are paying about 50 cents per milligram for heavily adulterated diacetylmorphine. 
Heroin Price by Region


Price Inflation Due to Prohibition

The following two tables list the cost of opium necessary to produce a gram of heroin. The price varies, but at most the opium costs $6 and may be as cheap as 11 cents. By the time that gram of opium is converted into heroin, smuggled into the destination country, repackaged and sold in retail units the cost jumps to over $800 (paper from 2003 so may not reflect the price drop discussed above)! For the sake of argument, let us assume the price of opium needed for a gram of heroin is $3. Now let's also say the price doubles at each step in the distribution, so the heroin produced now costs $6 per gram. Transit to consumer countries raises the price to $12 per gram, and finally after repackaging and retail distribution the cost to the user is $24 per gram. As I noted above the national average cost of heroin is $500 per gram. Based on this estimate prohibition raises the price by a factor of nearly 21, in other words heroin is 21 times as expensive as it would be if not illegal. 


The other way we can observe the effect of prohibition on heroin prices is by looking at the cost of legal morphine. Heroin is easily made from morphine, while this step might slightly raise the cost, heroin also weighs more so I doubt this would dramatically increase the cost. Mallinkrodt sells morphine at a per gram cost of $10.61 per gram, in a legal marketplace heroin should sell for a similar amount ($0.01061/milligram). Therefore we can estimate than prohibition inflates the price of heroin by a factor of 50 (ie under legalization heroin would be 50 times cheaper or about $10 per pure gram). 

THE EFFECT OF DRUG PROHIBITION ON DRUG PRICES: EVIDENCE FROM THE MARKETS FOR COCAINE AND HEROIN Jeffrey A. Miron. 2003 [Link]


79 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Comments that involve selling illegal drugs will be deleted. This site is for information on harm reduction and my opinion about issues related to opioids, if you want to sell drugs online take that shit to the silk road or one of its sister sites.

      And really who puts their phone number online offering to sell heroin in the comments section of a blog?

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    3. 500 a gram? What the eff was the author on when he got that number ??!!??! 500 will get you 14 grams.. And Im talking east coast powder.. Not garbage tar

      Delete
    4. $500 per gram is the price for pure heroin. As I wrote above most street (adulterated) heroin costs less than $200 per gram.

      These numbers are also for the people on the bottom of the distribution chain, the end users who usually buy less than a gram at a time. Like most drugs the more you buy the greater the break in price.

      And yes, I know that in Boston (for example) you can get grams for $100-120, or even less if you know the right people. Though the purity is probably around 20-30%, which puts the price per pure gram closer to the $400-500 range as reported in the paper. Also note the paper reports 2008 prices, today's heroin price may be lower, although still outrageously expensive compared to what it would cost in a legal market.

      Even at $500/14 grams (or $35/gram), street heroin is still way more expensive than it would be if legal...assuming a relatively free market with competition and without the government taxing it into oblivion.

      Delete
    5. If you're getting it from the Hundos you're looking at 50-60 bucks a gram but you always have to meet them sometimes a 20 min drive or risk meeting them in the park which is always hot and they stop working early as hell. Most other dealers standard is 80 bucks a gram but they are more flexible and usually have transportation. Then you have point for point "dealers" who charge a hundred dollars per gram. They are users themselves. Though their dope is usually really good and they'll meet you at anytime of night they are ripping you off. This is in Denver.

      Delete
    6. My brother passed in December. I just learned from the medical examiner that is was heroin laced with fentanyl that caused the over dose. He died in a public place Outside his storage unit next to his car - not a busy place) - there was no evidence of drugs at the scene so we all thought it was a heart attack (heart disease runs in family). Please forgive my ignorance - but shouldn't there have been wax paper or a baggie that the drug would come in. Also he was missing $100. How much does that typically buy?? He was in South Florida (Broward County). If only the paramedics would have/could have known and used Narcan he may still be with us. My thought is that there should have been more drugs there for $100. We have suspicions that someone was with him and didn't get help, and took the evidence. The person who found him called 911 - they were there within 3 minutes. They worked on him for over 30 minutes. Able to resuscitate twice but he crashed very quickly. Not sure if he was a daily user of heroin as he did need to get drug tested at least monthly if not weekly. Alcohol was his main weakness and he did get into the Flaka scene for awhile. I just feel that the OD was preventable if he knew it was cut with Fentanyl. I think he had too much trust in the guy that sold it to him.

      Delete
    7. @Anonymous

      I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Heroin usually comes in a baggie, plastic or wax paper, or sometimes tinfoil. Its possible there was someone with him, but its also possible he threw out the baggie (to get rid of the evidence) before doing his shot.

      I don't know about Florida, but $100 usually buys a decent amount of heroin, probably more than a single shot unless he had a big habit. But its also possible he didn't spend
      the full $100 on dope.

      It might have been the fentanyl that killed him, though its more likely a combination of alcohol and opioids. This is a particularly dangerous combination as the effects are synergistic (ie 1+1=3).

      As for who sold it to him, they likely didn't know it was fentanyl laced. Whoever added the fentanyl was up the distribution chain.

      It is an unfortunate side effect of prohibition that heroin users have to hide their use, which leads to using alone and in dangerous situations. If he wasn't found soon after he stopped breathing, its possible his heart stopped which would look like a heart attack to first responders. Personally I keep naloxone in my glove compartment for situations like these.

      Heroin prohibition per se did not kill your brother, but it did make his use far more dangerous than it otherwise would have been. So its not completely hyperbolic to say if there was no drug war, he would still be alive.

      Delete
    8. i recall up north in Newark NJ, average purity was like 73% when i was running.. which was insanely high and had many friends and my ex od... a brick 50- bags of .1-.15g of good white Heroin Hcl was from 180 (thats if you go to the hood yourself and on one of the MANY corner boys' good side) to up to 280-300 from a dealer who usually always happens to use dope too.. lol buy your gear from a dealer NOT a user..

      Delete
    9. Morepheen please help me
      Am from egypt addict to 2.5 gm of heroin dialy after 5 gm
      I reduced my dosage by this way i used to snort 30 mg ( 0.3 gm ) every 3 hours so total 1 gm after 9 hours so that averge 2 or 2.5 gm per day so that i reduced my dosage after a week from this reducing way
      Now i want to stop but i hate withdrawal pain and there is no methadone or subutex or subxone here in egypt

      Delete
    10. Almost 90% of the heroin overdoses in the Seattle area have actually been caused from the drug being cut with Fentonyl and xanax. it's kinda scary. Made me happy that I was a smoker honestly.

      Delete
    11. It's most likely scammed trying to get somebody desperate enough to send them money. They're not sending any drugs back so they feel like they're not breaking the law. But still taking ppls money.

      Delete
    12. Scammers trying to rip ppl off.

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Y'all popo need to just stop noone dumb enough to fall for that its pathetic and if u are not the d.e.a ur fucked up how u know children ant try to order the dope

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    3. mondess, what part of no comments about selling drugs did you not understand?

      Delete
  3. Wow. Slinging dope online. Wonder if anyone is stupid enough to buy?

    ReplyDelete
  4. O wow just yalls number alone the feds can find yall yall either stupid or just kids smh hope ur stupid enough to be ready to do yalls time too lol smh idiots!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WTF are you talking about????

      If anything heroin and most opioids are LESS harmful and damaging PHYSICALLY than alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

      So, I'd love for you to post a link to some facts supporting what you said, rather than slanderous propaganda. I'm talking about THE DRUGS themselves, not the cuts (meat tenderizer, benedryl, etc), not the effects from adminstration (HIV, HepC, DVT, etc.) . I'm talking the DRUGS THEMSELVES.

      Prove it, Angela Navejas.

      Delete
    2. "Angela Navejas" was just a spammer.

      Delete
  6. Grown in afghanistan.. cultivated and secured by us.. shipped to russia and china.. via unmarked planes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're willing to sell something?
      If you practice better prices that on Dark Net Market Place, let me know.
      Purity?

      Delete
  7. no heroin is the worst, have you ever seen a dope fiend? they are always sick af and deadly skinny, plus on top of that you can overdose on heroin and die, SPEAKING HERE ON JUST THE DRUG ALONE, NOTHING CUT OR THE OTHER SIDELINE AFFECTS LIKE STDS OR STUPID CRIME. YOU CANT OVER DOSE FROM SMOKING CIGS OR SMOKING WEED, EVEN COCAINE,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I considered trashing your comments but decided to leave them as a testament to the monumental stupidity people who know nothing about drugs spew on the internet.

      Delete
    2. did he/she just say you cant od on cocaine ? lmao

      Delete
    3. Really you can't overdose on coke? Cause I lost a gf to a coke od

      Delete
    4. smoking crack can and does cause heart failure aka heart attacks=death. Crack is far worse imo than heroin. Although, tar is sum nasty shit. Almost 10 yrs clean in march, and, ended up with a big ass gram in my hands yesterday. I need to throw in in the toilet. I was told it was sum good shit and do only do a little. Tht’s a first. Since it was a freebie gift from dude tryin’ to hook me. Why I took it- I dnt know.

      Delete
    5. hahaha can't od on coke! lol

      Delete
    6. That's one ignorant mofo cocaine definitely will kill specially speed balling

      Delete
  8. its the most addictive substance, and if you try it your stupid, also taking any prescriptions from a doctor that has opioids in it should be avoided at all costs, shit is no good for you, dont trust pharmaceutical companys, remember that most are multi billion dollar companies that supply this shit, they have the power to influence where need be, open your eyes please and dont be a "new slave" to the system..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicotine is just as addictive.
      Do your research. Don't trust the media.

      Delete
    2. David jerkoff you are a closet junky. Why would you be on here if you weren't? Loser. Should get spammed just for the useless comment..


      Sincerely,
      -Your fat mother


      Delete
    3. guess what. people have used opioids have been used for thousands of years lmao its not going away :) its a gift from the earth. we were made for it and it for us. that's what the receptors in our brains for all drugs are there for :) just don't abuse them lol that's a personal choice called free will. p.s. women in Egypt used it on their nipples for breast feeding teething babies :) apparently it worked great. now we use "man made " chemicals that they sell to make money :,( its so sad

      Delete
  9. Why do they cut heroin with fentanyl? Is this leathel crap worth all the deaths?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are able to make fentanyl analogs very inexpensively in labs. It goes out with the dope or regional sellers get it on the darknet and cut their shit with it. It makes it stronger, so it packs more of a punch, but the high isn't as good (imvho, it's more of a body high than dope). People aren't expecting fent so they OD. Everyone should do a test sniff or shot with new stuff to know what they are dealing with & have buddies with narcan nearby.

      Stay safe.

      Delete
    2. My brother passed in December. I just learned from the medical examiner that is was heroin laced with fentanyl that caused the over dose. He died in a public place Outside his storage unit next to his car - not a busy place) - there was no evidence of drugs at the scene so we all thought it was a heart attack (heart disease runs in family). Please forgive my ignorance - but shouldn't there have been wax paper or a baggie that the drug would come in. Also he was missing $100. How much does that typically buy?? He was in South Florida (Broward County). If only the paramedics would have/could have known and used Narcan he may still be with us. My thought is that there should have been more drugs there for $100. We have suspicions that someone was with him and didn't get help, and took the evidence. The person who found him called 911 - they were there within 3 minutes. They worked on him for over 30 minutes. Able to resuscitate twice but he crashed very quickly. Not sure if he was a daily user of heroin as he did need to get drug tested at least monthly if not weekly. Alcohol was his main weakness and he did get into the Flaka scene for awhile. I just feel that the OD was preventable if he knew it was cut with Fentanyl. I think he had too much trust in the guy that sold it to him.

      Delete
  10. Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Give the addicts all the dope they need; may lessen crime. Provide a drug rehab program for those who really want to stop their habit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Best advice comment I've seen all day. Some ppl need opiates fir pain and some ppl are stuck on it and want off but cant.

      Delete
  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But THIS comment didn't get censored?? Lmfao. Heyyyyy, DEA,NSA, FDA... We know you don't give a fuck about our health, don't care if we do drugs as long as it's YOUR drugs so you get paid, but seriously? This isn't even the dark web. Good luck catching teenagers and retards, the only ones stupid enough to "buy" your drugs online! Ahhh the future snitches! Get em! I'm out.

      Delete
  14. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  15. 500 for 14 gs??? Where are you? I can't get anything decent for less than 200 a g . Greedy ass mexicans are running my small town..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's 200-250/g in rural VA but if you travel to an East coast city it hovers around 50-70/g.

      Delete
  16. I am wondering how is this drug getting into the country? I can see where it is coming from and to me that doesn't matter. What matters more to me is HOW is it transported in? Are they putting it in condoms or something and swallowing it and flying into the country or what? BTW I really don't think they are doing that but how is it getting in? Does anyone know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It gets in all sorts of ways, swallowing condoms of drugs is only one way. Though you can transport over a kilo in your gut.

      There is a huge amount of products being shipped across national boundaries. The cops only find a small percentage. Really all you have to do is smuggle enough product and most will get through.

      Then there's corruption of officials. Baggage handlers moving packages around security. Corrupt customs officials and cops, ect. There's a million ways to get drugs into the country.

      Delete
    2. A lot of the drugs come through by someone getting paid to let it pass thru Airports or by bus.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  17. @Anon 4/18/16. Dude,count your blessings,starting w/ that Harlem connect.For most of us you're living "the dream".

    ReplyDelete
  18. It sucks to be an opioid addict in the US. The Swiss approach would be so much better, 92% of their addicts are in treatment. Some on methadone, others on pharmaceutical heroin, and they've never had a fatal OD.

    Being in NYC you're in one of the heroin capitols of the US. If you lived further from the city, like in Vermont or Maine you'd be paying a lot more for less quality. I don't know much about Columbia other than they are a major producer of East Coast heroin and presumably it would be a lot cheaper near the source. And yeah it does sound crazy to move to South America just to get a good dope connect but you wouldn't be the first itinerant junkie looking for the good stuff.

    For some people methadone or buprenorphine works very well. Some seemingly hopeless cases have been able to turn their lives around with the help of opioid substitution. It doesn't work for everyone, but if your use is really becoming a problem in your life you'd be a fool not to at least try it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Unreal the comments I've seen and hear. My son just had a close friend die from a Heroin overdose as the police say. He got all up set at me because when others and myself talked about it on social media, he got so up set saying it was the Fentanyl that it was cut with that killed his friend not Heroin. Now with that mind set what do you do to discourage them from it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have an academic interest in the wholesale heroin market, as it is easily the least well understood drug market. Very hard to obtain reliable pricing info, I've heard kilo prices anywhere from $60,000 - $200,000/kilo, with a range of $80,000 - $150,000/kilo being the standard in most parts of the US. If even can clarify these numbers, please input.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. According to Google you're also selling Purebred Russian Blue kitten as well.. smh..

      Delete
  25. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Do you honestly think people are that stupid?

    ReplyDelete
  27. This is the most inaccurate paper ever. Black tar 500$/g? Ya right. Think there would be an epidemic at that cost. What kind of person can afford 500$ a day habit. I the real world an oz goes for 600$ grams are 40-50$ I hope these people got an F on this paper. Horribly inaccurate info. Just like those stupid cops shows with drug busts. " police seized a quarter lb of marajuana, street value estimated at $200,000,000." What a joke.No wonder so many kids try selling drugs, stupid misinformed information has these kids thinking they'll get stupid rich of selling drugs. The people who determine street values for these shows live under a rock. In all actuality it'll cost them more Money then they'll ever make, due to posting bail after getting arrested, paying a lawyer, maybe medical bills when your shot getting robbed, or if your lucky just the tons of cash you'll throw down the drain buying drugs after your done with all the stress of selling, due to the addiction you picked up selling dope. People glorify dope dealer's cuz of rappers and movies but what's so cool about someone 60 lbs under weight, skin and bones, poor hygiene, probably homeless due to no job or money to spare for rent, all goes to dope, and has no friends or family cuz no one wants there sketchy ass in there house cuz every time they did something got stolen. Sounds like the life to me. Nothing cool about any of it. Take it from someone who knows. The good times are short lived.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll agree with this sentiment. I do at least$500 a day worth of heroin.

      Delete
    2. And I picked it up when I thought I would get rich quick.

      Delete
  28. Seriously. Think about it. All drugs or use of any product can cause death or damage. The body internal & external being. ..The choice is up to the individual. Ask yourself .how do you want it to be.live healty as possible. Or live or die with the consequences.

    ReplyDelete
  29. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  30. So, curious. Please ONLY ANSWER IF you know what your talking about! Anyways, hello. Im curious to know, what are some ways to tell if your "H" is fentanyl laced or mostly fentanyl? By smelling? Tasting, etc.? Key new know... Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've had a lot of experience with fentanyl laced dope. I know this for a fact because my door was kicked in and shit sent to the lab. Lemme tell you it's not shit to play with. And generally your dope will still have that acidy vinegar smell. The fent makes it taste a little sweet and draws up more clear than the normal Auburn looking or darker brown stuff. It's all over Philly right now.

      Delete
    2. If your dope is a mix of heroin and fentanyl combined it is next to impossible to tell. I am not aware of any simple reagent test that could distinguish fentanyl from heroin, so without access to a fully functional chemistry lab it is not easy to know what you have.

      Now if your dope is only fentanyl that's a different story. For one thing fentanyl has a faster onset than heroin, when injected it hits the brain very fast. Fentanyl also has a slightly different high than morphine (heroin), the difference is subtle but users with a broad experience with different opioids may be able to discern the difference. Finally there is the taste. Heroin has a characteristically bitter taste than most experienced heroin users will know well. I don't know if fentanyl has a taste, but since it is measured in micrograms I doubt you could taste it regardless of its flavor. So dope that doesn't taste bitter but still gets you high is almost certainly fentanyl, or a fentanyl analog.

      I need to do more research to determine if there's a better way to detect the presence of fentanyl.

      Delete
  31. Coming to the US later this year where is best state to get smokeable H in the UK it ain't worth buying anymore any help would be much appreciated

    ReplyDelete
  32. I get dilaudid and methadone by prescription ,But I am a "Doomsday Prepper" I want to know how to refine opium in an emergency when pharmacies no longer exist. the problem is nothing on the internet is specific enough(ratios ,time in process ect..) to actually get it done in an must do situation. Can anyone help me PLEASE !

    ReplyDelete
  33. All the contents you mentioned in post is too good and can be very useful. I will keep it in mind, thanks for sharing the information keep updating, looking forward for more posts.Thanks
     unick forex

    ReplyDelete
  34. buy alprazolam,ketamine,mdma,crystal meth,fentanyl at shop4herbalincense.com

    Order Fentanyl, Oxycodone , Xanax Bars , Percs , Roxicodone at low cost..With us , you get meds discreet with no prescription. We've worked to create a fast,
    efficient and fair system for order processing. We know you want your order quickly, at the lowest possible cost.Check some of our highly purchased meds;

    We are the best supplier of pain medications and research chemicals .our prices are affordable .
    For more details contact our website through any of the details provided below
    Management

    Visit: shop4herbalincense.com


    Call: +1 (925)-338-9583 (USA/Canada)

    whatsapp: +1 (925)-338-9583

    ReplyDelete

  35. You can't believe what i just got,… A loan of $ 60,000. I have been looking for a loan for the past 2years until i was referred to a legitimate lender. Though it was not that easy to approve my loan, as you know nothing good comes easy. But I got my loan within 4 hours i got my loan, and before i knew it, the loan was transferred to me. please friends, don't let any body deceive you and scam you for this is real. Contact them via Email: gaincreditloan1@gmail.com OR You can also whatsApp them at: at +1-(901)676-0641 (WhatsApp Only)

    ReplyDelete

  36. I started on COPD Herbal treatment from Ultimate Life Clinic, the treatment worked incredibly for my lungs condition. I used the herbal treatment for almost 4 months, it reversed my COPD. My severe shortness of breath, dry cough, chest tightness gradually disappeared. Reach Ultimate Life Clinic via their website www.ultimatelifeclinic.com. I can breath much better and It feels comfortable!

    ReplyDelete