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Heroin Drought Causing Problems in England

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #660)
Consequences of Prohibition

A scarcity of heroin in England is leading to a growing number of drug overdoses and poisonings as users ingest dope cut with other substances by dealers trying to stretch supplies, The Guardian reported this week. Scene watchers there are calling it the worst drought in years.

Are you sure that's heroin? Be careful out there, especially in England
The drought is being blamed not on seizures by law enforcement agencies, but on a fungus that has blighted the Afghan opium poppy crop, reducing the size of this year's poppy crop by half. Afghanistan accounts for more than 90% of the world's opium production and likely 100% of the British heroin supply.

"There is a very significant heroin shortage across the UK at the moment," said Gary Cross, head of drug policy for the non-profit group Release.  "It has been going on for some time now, but the last two months have seen stockpiles exhausted."

"I've never known anything like it in 30 years," wrote one long-time heroin user on an on-line forum discussing the shortage.

As dealers and users scramble to grapple with the shortage, users are turning up at hospitals after ingesting adulterated heroin or, in some cases, fake heroin consisting of a powerful sedative, caffeine, and paracetamol, a bulking agent. Some have passed out after smoking or ingesting, while others have reported vomiting, amnesia, and flu-like symptoms.

"This 'heroin drought' appears to be serious and geographically widespread," said Neil Hunt, director of research at KCA, a nationwide community drug treatment service. "Street heroin is in a complete and utter muddle at the moment, and users are collapsing unexpectedly. We need to standardize information about what's out there.

"If people use this intravenously, perhaps on top of alcohol and methadone [the prescribed substitute drug for heroin], it is extremely risky," said Dr. John Ramsey, who runs a drug database at St. George's Medical School in London. "We have had many reports of people overdosing. It's really important that accident and emergency departments understand that they may not be dealing with a 'normal' heroin overdose when people are brought in," he said.

Harm reduction drug agencies are aware of the problem and working to address it. Several of them held an urgent meeting last week to discuss setting up an online warning system to give users notice about contaminated or adulterated drugs.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Anonymousdasdkfjgfkl (not verified)

the cia spread the fungus

Tue, 11/23/2010 - 5:23pm Permalink
Anon9 (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymousdasdkfjgfkl (not verified)

It wouldn't be the first time.  Just like the Govt spraying paraquat on the mexican marijuana crops back in the 70's or the poisoning alcohol during Prohibition.  http://www.slate.com/id/2245188/

Whereas, we are about harm reduction, the fanatical prohibitionists are about harm intensification.

Wed, 11/24/2010 - 12:54am Permalink
an educated citizen (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymousdasdkfjgfkl (not verified)

Yeah,  destroy their number two cash crop (after cocaine) ?  You must be smoking some of their drugs.   Black-ops agencies have one G.O.D., and that god is Gold, Oil, and Drugs.  

 

Heroin production skyrocketed after the invasion of Afghanistan, and the trafficking of heroin played an important role in the Balkan wars, as well.   The CIA needs this shit to generate illicit funding for off-the-radar activities, to act as a destabilizing agent in both 3rd world AND 1st world countries, including the West, and finally, to be used as a political force multiplier, by corrupting influential people thru association with the trade or by direct addiction. 

Fri, 11/26/2010 - 9:20am Permalink
mark_e_la (not verified)

In reply to by Anonymousdasdkfjgfkl (not verified)

I don't know about  the cia thing.  They seem to do quite well out of the drug trade, remember the Contra hearings Oliver North said coke funded military aid to US supported groups in Nicaragua, and of course there was Air America set up by the  CIA to get the South Vietnamese general's heroin out of there.

There was an unexlained rought in Australia in early 2000s.  I'm a University researcher who's been looking at the heroin trade and am a long term user so I'm interested on both levels.  There's probably several forces at work, not least trying to push the price up.  There has been top gear but expensive at 1988 prices where I am-- 200 on the 1/8 but only comming through one person.  Must be a one off stash come in from Islamabad!  The rest is bash or poison.  No-one can explain this simply....none of the top scholars of drug use ever figured out the Australian drought and Tazmania is one of the largest producers of legal opium in the world!!  Everyone just changed their drug of choice and smack re-emerged after about a year.  A strange occurrence. I know alot of people with or without scripts are suffering.  Time to legalise or people will just take more risks and more dangerous drugs or start making fentanyl which, if ur a chemist, is easy and 1g of fentanyl can be cut into 1kg of gear safely as a pharmaceutical replacement.  That's what the big boys would do if there was a real "no heroin on the planet scenario".  There's no way they'll give up the trade and lose all that lovely money they love so much.  Read the book Heroin Century by Tom Carnwath and Ian Smith, although from 2002 it explains a lot.  Happy hunting

Thu, 12/09/2010 - 1:47am Permalink
stuart (not verified)

It has made me stop using and i'm just taking my meth now.
 

Wed, 11/24/2010 - 11:05am Permalink
Toeknee (not verified)

In reply to by sparky (not verified)

Well it's the end of Jan and nothings changed, I believe we will all be so clean by the time things return to normal that it will not be the lucrative buisness it was and most dealers won't bother with brown as the permanent customers would have disappered.
Tue, 01/25/2011 - 1:12pm Permalink
onarcotx (not verified)

In reply to by sparky (not verified)

It is now the 18th March 2011 and the Heroin in Bradford (which is usually a shade better than other places due to all the Pakistani's) is just getting worse and worse with the majority of gear being seized by the law at 1 to 2 percent. I can see this drought going on into the second half of 2011. Seems its lasted a bit longer than u predicted pal. I feel as though I may as well quit rather than hold out for some nice gear. I just can't quit for long.   

Fri, 03/18/2011 - 10:46am Permalink
kevin m (not verified)

In reply to by stuart (not verified)

same here mate im just doing my subutex and that but there is some out there but 0.1 for £10 or £15 is a big joke tho

Wed, 12/08/2010 - 5:21am Permalink
Heftman (not verified)

Liverpool is the 'epicentre' of the UK heroin scene, and heroin is even getting scarce here, though the purity is reported to be staying level so far (I'm a researcher). Established bona-fide dealers are giving warnings to their customers that supplies - at least of any quality - may run out within a week or two, and most have switched from selling 0.5 gram bags from the usual price of £12.50 (£25 for 2) to selling them for £20 per bag, with no reductions for buying two or more bags. This is the first price rise here for over 25 years.

Wed, 11/24/2010 - 2:09pm Permalink
leigh cox (not verified)

In reply to by Heftman (not verified)

Im an adict and the drought is that bad in birmingham that its neally imposible to get heroin. If you can get a large amount your having to pay £300 a quarter, £600 for half ounce its shocking. The smaller dealers have all started selling 0.1 gram for £10 to make a profit and the heroin is that weak you may aswell burn your money. Im sticking with my methadone im not going to waist anymore money just to line the dealers pockets.

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 10:28am Permalink
mark_e_la (not verified)

In reply to by Heftman (not verified)

If ur researching in Liverpool we may have crossed paths.  I'm in Cardiff and have been all over the uk and I have never witnessed a situation like this either as a researcher or user for 30 years.  You must be aware of what happened in Australia, it's in the lit', no-one could figure out why it happened.  I don't think this is the end.  There's probably a push on prices across the globe.  Prices have been falling steadily for years--in 1988 in West London gear was expensive.  80 to 100 a g.  Now it's as low as 30 (or has been) it wouldn't be surprising if the major players were trying to push up prices!!

Thu, 12/09/2010 - 1:56am Permalink
Shirley****** (not verified)

For the last 6 months in my tiny town there has been a drought concerning H . Fortunately i've had several connections in the 2nd city, where i have continued to get my 1/8th a day, ok so the price has rose to £120, but no real issues with quality! A bit more bash in certain batches, but way better than elsewhere.

That was until today, because what i witnessed this A.M, totally blew my mind ! At 07:30 we were directed to an area of which i hadn't been before & what awaited me was a picture of total amazement. At the top of this rd were at least 100 people of all ages & races, at the side were cars ranging from brand new jags to work vans. Then without warning a car drove up this street followed by a large 4 by 4 which blocked off the rd. The scene that followed was equivalent to a food drop in a 3rd world country, as people surrounded the car, both sides , fighting to get served, some buying 100 bags @ £15 a pop (0.2) only.

As quick as he came he was gone (to re-load ) he did this 3 times, then at 08:15 he was gone till tomorrow. All the way home i could not believe what i had just saw , i only wished i had filmed it on my mobile ( fear of being mistaken for 5 'o ) stopped me , but i swear if that's what i've got to do every day now to get my gear then f**k it , i'll have to stick to done!

Seriously folks if this is what is happening elsewhere then the heroin scene in UK is over!!  Time to get well i reckon (easier said than done i know )

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had any similar experiences?

Be well Shirley *****

Thu, 11/25/2010 - 1:14am Permalink
allan (not verified)

In reply to by Shirley****** (not verified)

hey Shirley,

where are you located, im in northampton, middle of england and the h scene is basicly non existant. 1 month ago there was probably 100 dealers that had for 10£ bags to ounces all within a walking distance , now the only thing is the stuff when you pinn it it blocks your pin and if you manage to get it in it does not do anything to you. im thinking of goin to liverpool or anywhere to get some h. please respond. im no cop!! im a junkie

Thu, 11/25/2010 - 2:47pm Permalink
Heftman (not verified)

In reply to by allan (not verified)

If you are thinking of coming to Liverpool, the heart of UK heroin, to get supplies, then you had better make it sooner rather than later - I estimate there is a week or two left before supplies dry up or become so adulterated that you would get a better hit chasing/shooting codeine tablets ... you have been warned...

Thu, 11/25/2010 - 4:47pm Permalink
Shirley****** (not verified)

In reply to by allan (not verified)

Hey Alan,

I go to Liverpool for the football & i just cant see you gettin anything worthwhile mate, unless you wanna get a bag full of 1/2's! Plus if your gonna get ripped anywhere then Liverpooll is the place. ( & i love the scousers )

I have a pal working in the DAM so tomorrow i'm off to France then Belgium to get some tobacco & beer so i'll see what that leads to.

Oh yeh i am based in Walsall , there is bits & pieces coming in but i agree with heroine it's gonna be 6 months before any normality returns. All the Afghans in U.K are keepin their own habbits ticking over with the last of the stockpiles from last harvest.

All the best Al get yourself a script mate.

Shirley*****

Fri, 11/26/2010 - 12:25am Permalink
scouse222 (not verified)

In reply to by Shirley****** (not verified)

Thats funny seeing how scousers basically run most brown grafts in the country, your talking shit people move to here because the gear is 10 times better than elsewere and its £10 for 0.4's not your shitty manitol 0.2s.

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 8:36pm Permalink
Shirley****** (not verified)

In reply to by scouse222 (not verified)

Scouse222, I ain't sayin the tackle aint no good, fuck me all i'm advising the lad to do is be careful !!

 It's fine if you have a contact who you can trust, but how many dealers do you know who will sell to an outsider ( who they never met before) .Relax lad, One of my best mates travels there regular so i know about your quality & prices ( waitin on him now infact ) Fingers crossed.

Just have a boot , relax & realise how lucky you are to live where you do !

All the best Shirley******

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 11:39pm Permalink
thedon (not verified)

In reply to by scouse222 (not verified)

here if their any brown up that way let me no and if nice i look after ya no bother

Sun, 11/28/2010 - 11:40am Permalink
kurdistan (not verified)

In reply to by scouse222 (not verified)

green lanes haringey london. that's where all the money from gear ends up.more illegal money goes down the stretch from manor house to turnpike lane then anywhere in europe. i remember the days of .5 15's of white brick that was gold in the barrel and ran for ever stayin rock till the end. no one else outside tottenham has had it from the info i got from addicts in treatment. but it was 2000/5-6. 75 an1/8 550 an 0z

Sun, 03/27/2011 - 4:15pm Permalink
London2010 (not verified)

In London things seem to be worse. There are no queues or a fiasco with 100 people waiting and dealers arriving in cars....but no heroin on the streets totally. Most dealers have switched off and some who are on seem to be selling fake H that apparently has 0% of the drug in it. Users are still buying nevertheless in desperation and in the hope that things could improve. And there are no signs of things improving in anyway at all in the near future.

Thu, 11/25/2010 - 11:30am Permalink
Stokel4d (not verified)

m in stoke n aint cn owt like it in 20 yrs of dabblen on/off of script,ther shud b more help 4 ppl instead of jus bn left out 2 dry n 'uv made ur own bed'it takes the piss,i feel sorry 4 ppl wiv no script must b a nytmare.,Luckily 4 me n the miss's we stopped avn a toot 9 weeks ago quality was getn bad,fn unbelievable 4 me aint done this long 4 tym.hope it gets sorted soon ppl r gettn hurt,its hard enuf at the best of tyms...LEGALISATION IS THE ONLY SOLUTION.hmm.. dream on lad.. :(
Thu, 11/25/2010 - 5:38pm Permalink
heroine (not verified)

This will go on for months. This summers poppy harvest in Afghanistan has failed due to 50%of poppy being destroyed by this fungus. poppy harvests occur approx every 6 months . if you got a habit you can forget being able 2 score anything like half decent gear til at least may next year, fact. get yourselves on a script ASAP til then.
Thu, 11/25/2010 - 8:37pm Permalink
heroine (not verified)

This will go on for months. This summers poppy harvest in Afghanistan has failed due to 50%of poppy being destroyed by this fungus. poppy harvests occur approx every 6 months . if you got a habit you can forget being able 2 score anything like half decent gear til at least may next year, fact. get yourselves on a script ASAP til then. Sad time for all :-(
Thu, 11/25/2010 - 8:54pm Permalink
sparkedoot (not verified)

In reply to by heroine (not verified)

im sorry, but i just feel this fungus story is bogus. im not expert in producing gear, but i dont think this years harvest will hit uk streets for some time. in other words youre bein had again. mibe theyre making you suffer in the most painful, degrading ways possible so that when the time comes, an the man from ? say 'go' youll be so greatful youll be willin to pay whatever.(everything) come on you can do better than that. all the games you play in ya head, all the holdin out an sufferin-you never EVER win. time to change the rules. theres enough of ya. fight to end prohibition, or take your chance an kick that brown bastard into last year. good luck guys. i feel for yas, i really do. 

Sat, 12/18/2010 - 9:11am Permalink
Heftman (not verified)

Well, there's been such a  rush of bulk-buyers coming to the smack epicentre (Liverpool), that you can forget the 2-week warning - its almost all dried up as of today. If you are a Brit looking for heroin now, I suggest you get a plane to Afghanistan. Failing that, sign up at your local treatment centre on Monday morning - be warned, anyone who thinks withdrawals are like flu has never been thru withdrawals... its Hell in your mind, its your worst fucking nightmare. Dont wait...

Fri, 11/26/2010 - 4:27pm Permalink
wikmyndid1 (not verified)

i live just out stourbridge and theres been no gear here for at least 3 weeks but if i am honest the gear has been shite for a very long time its nothing like it was when i started 15 years ago i dont know how people get hooked on it nowadays theres been plenty being produced it just hasn't been coming are way i just hope that after this drought things get better than they were. everybody hang in there were all in the same boat and it will pass and i doubt it will take until may be optimistic!.

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 8:45am Permalink
leigh cox (not verified)

In reply to by wikmyndid1 (not verified)

i live in Quinton and the only half decent gear i can get is in stourbridge town center off some little afgan chap you might know who im on about, he sells 0.2 gram for £15 no deals just bags all the way. if he aint got i dont bother i just stick to my meth it holds you better than the shit everyone else is selling.

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 10:53am Permalink
Shirley****** (not verified)

In reply to by leigh cox (not verified)

How are ya Lee,

Ain't it crazy you live in B'HAM yet travel to Stourbridge, then the geezer who lives in Stourbridge cant get fuck all, and i live in Walsall yet travel to B'ham!!

I reckon these afghans are holdin onto the last few kilo's for themselves, it's out of order they flood our country for years then all of a sudden switch to Russia & Iran!

I'd like to meet this little afghan chappie your talkin about , any chance of meetin up halfway?

All the best Shirley******

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 1:25pm Permalink
leigh cox (not verified)

In reply to by wikmyndid1 (not verified)

i live in quinton and the only half decent gear i can get is in stourbridge town center off a little afgan chap, he sells 0.2 gram for £15 no deals just bags you might know who im on about. if he aint got i dont bother and just stick to my meth it holds you better than the shit everyone else is selling.

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 11:02am Permalink
derek ireland (not verified)

Cheers Shir,

Im on a script,but. you know how it is when its gear u want . phi's just never enough.. i guess if things dont change in the next week i'll/we'll all get used to it.

Just by the way... whats the situation with crack in england at the moment??

And does anyone know if they still have brown in Rotterdam/holland ?

check back with yall later

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 9:41am Permalink
Shirley****** (not verified)

In reply to by derek ireland (not verified)

Glad your ok dek,

As far as crack goes i only dabble got enough issues with the H , but asking about & plenty around! How the fuck can you take the bone without a boot after is beyond me!

Not sure about Rotterdam, but thinking of going to Turkey as i've been there before . If that fails then Athens could be an option!

I know what you mean about ph's not being enough, as for me it' the whole process i'm into ( gettin jimmy ready , rolling a tooter, etc...)  I think that's why people still buying the shit , just to smoke something!  stop them twiddling their thumbs!

Good luck one & all , may our wishes come true soon.

Shirley*****

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 1:12pm Permalink
sasha32 (not verified)

In reply to by derek ireland (not verified)

Just read your msg. was wondering if you'd heard any news about availability in the dam.  I'm about ready to get on a train/plane over. Been surviving on a couple of litres of emergency linctus I had put by and i've been eeking it out for about a month now.  Getting desperate now..

  Pls let me know if you've got any news.

Cheers and take care.

Fri, 12/03/2010 - 6:17pm Permalink
Anon t (not verified)

I've never seen it so bad in my 10 years and i know people. Its getting worser and i aint on no script. The government should legalise the h after all it was the british east indian company that distributed it all over the place
Sat, 11/27/2010 - 5:18pm Permalink

hello to all of you

i noticed there was no messages on the page from dealers so as a dealer in london thought i would give you all a heads up.

stick in there and hold out for a bit longer,but if your not on a script or cant score juice on the streets then you people will suffer.

there is h out there but as most of you will have guessed it seems the time is right for an increase.it wont affect the gram to £ price but no one will be doing deals or discounts-no more 2 for £15 or 3 for £25. the top boys who the street dealers buy it from are holding it back just long enough for the users to pay top dollar for hi grade gear.i keep hearing people asking if there is going to be a white christmas but there will definitley be a brown christmas. you are not months away from scoring more likely a few weeks.i have seen the stash that is being held back just for the sake of the big boys to make an extra few ££ while you all suffer.i do pity you but get on a script and at christmas time your wishes will all come true.

hold in there,wont be long

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 5:35pm Permalink
Poppyplease. (not verified)

In reply to by sparky (not verified)

To Sparky, I really hope your right but just find it very hard to believe that u have seen with your own eyes enough food to feed every junkie in uk/Ireland, and even harder to believe u would bother posting about it on the net..we're not talking a few keys..to get us back to how things used to be were gonna need tonnes (literally)..also doesn't explain reports of shortages in Russia/Europe (know people keep saying that's bs but from posts I've read and bits of news makes sense to me)..I do hope u prove me wrong but got a feeling your maybe over-estimating the impact a few keys might make...(reckon average junkie does atleast 1/4 Kilo a year x estimated 300,000 junkies in uk).
Sun, 11/28/2010 - 11:29am Permalink
drugstore cowboy84 (not verified)

hi this is chichester and same story here i came home from work to find my wife unconcious  she had a sneaky hit while i was at work thank god shes ok . our dealers usin portsmouth but cant find anything worth bying. the dodgy batch came from bognor lucky we got scripts but its not the same, hope fellas right about brown crimbo  anyways be carful everyone if you inject smoke for a while. its not worth losing ur life over a fix!

Sun, 11/28/2010 - 8:57am Permalink
Andy Joyce (not verified)

Haha what the hell are they on about?  Heroin drought causing problems?  Heroins supposed to be illegal i thought they were trying to get the drug off the streets anyway!  Where the hell are we with drug policy, it's a fucking mess?!!  Get the damn stuff prescribed and be done with it.

Sun, 11/28/2010 - 10:31am Permalink
Poison (not verified)

In reply to by Andy Joyce (not verified)

Are you stupid? People will ALWAYS want to get high, just because you make something illegal doesn't mean it suddenly ceases to exist. There are an estimated 300,000 heroin addicts in the UK, that's a LOT of people to be suffering. If 300,000 citizens were suffering from some legal problem as severe as this drought it'd be all over the news. But yes, prescribing SHOULD be the answer, we should ALL be able to get diamorphine scripts so we don't have to run the police gauntlet of scoring or risk losing our arms and lives using badly cut gear. Sadly that's not how it is, although with this drought I'm thankful enough for my meth script..just hope this IS over before christmas...

Sun, 11/28/2010 - 11:55am Permalink
f1mbo (not verified)

£712 million pounds confiscated in afghanistan in august and 330 kilos at heathrow in september AND 80 kilos from felixstowe this month. I am in bromsgove near birmingham and have bought weights for 14 years, i cant even get sa bag of gear! i was told back in june that there was a problem and since then downhill> c.d.t have never had so many clean samples in my area FACT! Time to get clean people. There is proof its coming in but in such small quantities that by the time they have mixed it with bash it will be no good. This country and each country in europe and elsewhere gets through tons Not kilos. Do the maths its OVER!
Sun, 11/28/2010 - 12:35pm Permalink
Shirley****** (not verified)

Cheer up people if Sparky's correct we will have a brown christmas! ( might have all done our rattle by then ) but at least we will get a nod for xmas. ( that's on my wish list to santa )

It's all still quiet in the west mids, even the comotion i witnessed the other day has calmed down! only cus the gear has changed. What's the T.C.P. taste that is in a lot of the gear lately ? Does anyone know ?

I suppose i'm one of the lucky one's on a script , but it's the boredom that's doin my sweed in. Has anyone any good news to report ? Sick to death of hearing so & so has proper scabby gear, leaves a button on your cocky! then you get there & it's that light weak shit that changes colour !

Chins up Shirley*****

Sun, 11/28/2010 - 1:07pm Permalink
michael kinser (not verified)

In reply to by Shirley****** (not verified)

Its Linctus morphine  the TCP smelling stuff what they mix it with but its weak morphine what they use for sore throats! Piss Take!! This is what it has come to! The bastards whose pockets we have been lining over the years! -I would imagine that goes in when it hits Brum in our case! The earlybird gets the first worm! Oh well - We can just hope enough gets through to go round the outer towns of brum! Kiddy has the same So Called gear!

Tue, 11/30/2010 - 3:18pm Permalink
zara (not verified)

In reply to by Shirley****** (not verified)

Im from plymouth, but i have just got some lefoxadine / Britlofex of the doctor which stinks of TCP, n smells strongly of it also, thats my theory hun, as it takes away about 30-40% of withdrawls, im not on a script, gave it up to turkey, by going back on H as its easier to come off them meth, big mistake, but hey, now im forced into doing my funky chicken, lol, wish me luck, were all in this together, hope things get better soon, a great video to lookup by the way on YOUTUBE: type in:    Heroin on the NHS,   its about Clive Froggat who was magarett thatchers doctor (Prime minister in the 80's who was a H. addict whi is fighting to get it legalised, really interesting to watch, its in 3 parts

Mon, 12/06/2010 - 6:54pm Permalink
philchelt (not verified)

In reply to by Shirley****** (not verified)

People r saying TCP, but I always thought it was something I vividly remembered from childhood.  Then it hit me- it's not TCP it's germolene! God knows why they they were using something that tastes that distinctive though.  What happened to good old fashioned glucose? Actually what happened to good old fashioned heroin?! Guess I'm lucky, I've had quite a few morphine sulphate gouches lately, but what you were saying about the ritual with the foil is spot on.  Things still shit here in Cheltenham.  How bout up in the midlands?

Wed, 12/08/2010 - 12:55pm Permalink

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