Chasing the [green] dragon: Heroin Green Daily style

Obviously drugs — even the legal ones — aren’t very good for you, and most will get you arrested (or worse), but rumor has it that some citizens still take them anyway. So, with that in mind, the least you can do is work towards a more sustainable habit. To see all the substances we’ve covered in that series, see our Guide to Green Green Drug Use.

As we explore recreational drugs that week at Green Daily, I have opted to write about heroin. that is not considering I know more than what I learned in high school health class, but considering I know that it comes from poppies. Poppies grow out of the ground naturally so heroin must be pretty earth friendly, right? I additionally wanted to examine how most heroin comes to the United States and how many miles it travels — whether it arrives via private jet or the more eco-friendly passenger pigeon.

Gallery: Sustainable Drugs: Heroin

Producing heroin from a poppy plant is multi-layered procedure that involves a few chemicals and some energy consumption. First, morphine is extracted from opium with the use of heat, water, slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and ammonium chloride. Next some acetic anhydride is added to the morphine to create heroin. Though the first two chemicals can be well restricted, the acetic anhydride is not only flammable but can release toxic gases when heated or during decomposition. None of the processing should be done near a water source. The amount of energy used

depends on the sophistication of the manufacturer. The production methods could be anything from a stainless steel pot and fire to autoclaves, blenders and generators.

How one plans on taking heroin could plus have a further effect on the environment. Transforming heroin to smokable profile involves the use of corrosive hydrochloric acid and again there is the concern of toxic fumes as the drug burns. Transforming raw heroin into an intravenous structure requires more heat as well as chloroform, ethanol, ethyl ether and acetone.

With intravenous use plus comes the mandatory paraphernalia including syringes which must be disposed of properly in order to prevent accidental injury or the potential spreading of disease. The AIDS pandemic was in part ushered along by intravenous drug users sharing needles. Dr. H of the Heroin Helper does not recommended reusing needles as dull needles can cause injury to the veins.

According to the United Nations, 87% of the world’s heroin comes from Afghanistan. Despite that and contrary to what the “terrorist” commercials would have you believe, most of the United State’s supply comes from Mexico and Colombia. Chances are that no matter where your drugs are coming from, they are traveling a distant distance by air and leaving a big carbon footprint behind them.

Dangerous chemicals, pandemics and distant travels give heroin a green grade of D. Switching from heroin to smoking or eating opium, which involves very little processing, would be a greener alternative. Of course the greenest (and healthiest) alternative would be to stay away from opiates all together.

[Source] Kelly Leahy

science magazine green building tankless water heater recycle pollution science news what is global warming solar water heater planet earth earth science renewable energy conservation go green fossil fuels going green fuel cells hybrid car natural resources solar cell water conservation green free energy sustainability an inconvenient truth endangered species oil prices photovoltaic department of energy al gore thermal energy solar cells recycling facts epa genetically modified food solar hybrid vehicles wildlife electronic waste polar bears recycling tankless water heaters consequences of global warming national wildlife federation composting carbon footprint peak oil wind power earth science dictionary greenhouse gases ecology alternative energy organic geothermal energy nature solar power air pollution electric cars causes of global warming effects of global warming deforestation energy star planet earth day solar panels environment land pollution water pollution climate change greenhouse effect water heaters noise pollution green guy solar panel compost bottled water carbon dioxide human nature cause of global warming earth endangered species list mother earth news organic food energy conservation wind energy solar powered cars mother earth solar dryer environmental issues climate map global warming price of oil climate graphs solar energy kyoto protocol water waste management popular science ocean pollution hybrid cars global warming facts