Houston Drug Charge Lawyer, Heroin Usage Today, Andy Nolen

Pure heroin is rarely sold on the street. A "bag" (slang
for a small unit of heroin sold on the street) currently
contains about 30 to 50 milligrams of powder, only a
portion of which is heroin. The remainder could be sugar,
starch, acetaminophen, procaine, benzocaine, or
quinine, or any of numerous cutting agents for heroin.
Traditionally, the purity of heroin in a bag ranged from 1
to 10 percent. More recently, heroin purity has ranged
from about 10 to 70 percent. Black tar heroin is often
sold in chunks weighing about an ounce. Its purity is
generally less than South American heroin and it is most
frequently smoked, or dissolved, diluted, and injected.

In the past, heroin in the United States was almost
always injected, because this is the most practical and
efficient way to administer low-purity heroin. However,
the recent availability of higher purity heroin at relatively
low cost has meant that a larger percentage of today's
users are either snorting or smoking heroin, instead of
injecting it. This trend was first captured in the 1999
National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, which
revealed that 60 to 70 percent of people who used
heroin for the first time from 1996 to 1998 never
injected it. This trend has continued. Snorting or
smoking heroin is more appealing to new users because
it eliminates both the fear of acquiring syringe-borne
diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis, as well as
eliminating the social stigma attached to intravenous
heroin use. Many new users of heroin mistakenly believe
that smoking or snorting heroin is a safe technique for
avoiding addiction. However, both the smoking and the
snorting of heroin are directly linked to high incidences
of dependence and addiction.

According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, during the latter half of the 1990s, heroin
initiation rates rose to a level not reached since the
1970s. In 1974, there were an estimated 246,000
heroin initiates. Between 1988 and 1994, the annual
number of new users ranged from 28,000 to 80,000.
Between 1995 and 2001, the number of new heroin
users was consistently greater than 100,000. Overall,
approximately 3.7 million Americans reported using
heroin at least once in their lifetime.

Houston Texas Drug Defense Lawyer Andy Nolen has over 15 years experience defending drug charges and is considered one of the best defense attorneys in Houston with over 400 cases dismissed.

One of the most experienced Houston defense lawyers, Attorney Andy Nolen, represents people who have been accused of a state crime or Houston
law, including in communities such as League City, Angleton, Pearland, Alvin, Clear Lake, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Baytown, Pasadena, Memorial,
Spring Branch, River Oaks, West University, and Bellaire. Counties that Houston criminal attorney Andy Nolen serves include: Galveston County • Fort
Bend County • Montgomery County • Brazoria County • Harris County. Cases handled include: Possession of Marijuana, Cocaine, Crystal
Methamphetamine, Xanax, Prescription Drugs, Probation Violations, Theft, Shoplifting, Drunk Driving, Evading Arrest, and all other Felonies and
Misdemeanors.

A ndy Nolen, Attorney at Law
...representing those accused of drug and alcohol cases
The Use of Heroin:

HOUSTON DRUG CASE DEFENSE LAWYER
OVER 15 YEARS CRIMINAL LAW EXPERIENCE
LICENSED IN BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL COURT