Chasing the dragon

History

The practice of smoking low-grade heroin via heating on tinfoil first originated in Hong Kong in the late 1950s, and thereafter spread to other parts of Southeast Asia during the 1960s, Western Europe during the late 1970s, and to the Indian subcontinent during the 1980s. A report published in 1958 by the Government of Hong Kong stated that since syringes were difficult to obtain in the colony, local addicts bought street deals of crude heroin (often mixed with powdered barbiturates) weighing approximately 0.126 grams for HK$2 each, which was then vaporized on tinfoil while the consumer inhaled the rising smoke through a cardboard tube. The use of common materials for consumption of the drugs allowed the addict to quickly dispose of the evidence if they detected the police nearby, and also allowed them to forgo carrying incriminating paraphernalia on their person (such as pipes or syringes).

Risks

Lung cancer from natural talc

Talc is an excipient often used in pharmaceutical tablets. Also, illicit drugs that occur as white powder in their pure form are often cut with cheap talc. Natural talc is cheap but contains asbestos while asbestos-free talc is more expensive. Talc that has asbestos is generally accepted as being able to cause lung cancer if it is inhaled. The evidence about asbestos-free talc is less clear, according to the American Cancer Society.

Smoke inhalation

Main article: Smoke inhalation

It is always harmful to expose the lungs to any kind of smoke or heated vapor.

Heroin

Inhaling heroin appears to rarely lead to toxic leukoencephalopathy. There are also documented cases of both severe acute asthma and exacerbation of underlying asthma caused by heroin inhalation, potentially resulting in death.

References

References

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2. (June 1997). "Heroin smoking by 'chasing the dragon': origins and history". Addiction.
3. (16 May 2018). "What Does It Mean To "Chase The Dragon"?".
4. (1 January 1958). "The smoking of heroin in Hong Kong".
5. "Talcum Powder and Cancer".
6. (2010). "Acute Inhalation Injury". The Eurasian Journal of Medicine.
7. (February 2008). "Heroin-induced leukoencephalopathy: characterization using MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging, and MR spectroscopy". Clinical Radiology.
8. (2011). "Chasing the dragon - characterizing cases of leukoencephalopathy associated with heroin inhalation in British Columbia". Harm Reduction Journal.
9. (10 December 1988). "Heroin inhalation and asthma.". BMJ.
10. (February 2003). "Heroin Insufflation as a Trigger for Patients With Life-Threatening Asthma". Chest.
11. (October 2005). "The Effects of Cocaine and Heroin Use on Intubation Rates and Hospital Utilization in Patients With Acute Asthma Exacerbations". Chest.