>Heroin is really just a synthesized and concentrated form of morphine
The pharmacology nerd inside me is reeling. Heroin is a semi-synthetic, since it's derived from the naturally occuring opiate Morphine. Concentrated is the wrong word - vodka is more concentrated than beer because it contains more ethanol per ml. Heroin has a (slightly) different chemical structure to Morphine, though it is more potent by weight. You can't say that it's more concentrated without changing the meaning of the word.
>I just wish we'd start drafting laws based on science, not fear.
Completely agree and to add to that, I wish we'd start drafting laws which protect people instead of harming them.
Yes, I guess potent would have been a better word choice, but you get the idea. I was trying to explain it without using terms like bioavailability and analgesic potential... I assume that anybody who understands those words doesn't need me to point out my main point, which was simply that it's hard to make a argument based on biochemistry and pharmacokinetics alone for the current drug schedules!
"Heroin has a (slightly) different chemical structure to Morphine, though it is more potent by weight."
If I remember correctly it crosses the blood brain barrier faster, but once it's in the brain it acts exactly the same as morphine. I've heard it's actually less potent than morphine gram for gram if you eat it, but I'm not sure.
Morphine becomes heroin (diacetylmorphine) upon replacing the naturally-occurring hydroxyl groups (-OH) with acetyl groups (-OCOCH3). This increases fat solubility, which allows it to cross the blood-brain barrier much more quickly than morphine.
The acetyl groups get removed in the brain, and the resulting morphine has the traditional effects. Since heroin includes the extra weight of acetyl groups, it's implied that heroin is less strong per gram than morphine, but is easier to deliver.
Orally, Heroin has a bioavailability of between ~25% and ~65%, depending on dose and tolerance, whereas Morphine has a bioavailability of 20-40%, making Heroin the more efficient of the pair.
The pharmacology nerd inside me is reeling. Heroin is a semi-synthetic, since it's derived from the naturally occuring opiate Morphine. Concentrated is the wrong word - vodka is more concentrated than beer because it contains more ethanol per ml. Heroin has a (slightly) different chemical structure to Morphine, though it is more potent by weight. You can't say that it's more concentrated without changing the meaning of the word.
>I just wish we'd start drafting laws based on science, not fear.
Completely agree and to add to that, I wish we'd start drafting laws which protect people instead of harming them.