# Why do IV heroin users heat their heroin?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-iv-heroin-users-heat-their-heroin/682770>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 3, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-iv-heroin-users-heat-their-heroin/682770 "2014-03-03T18:20:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-iv-heroin-users-heat-their-heroin/682770/1 "2014-03-03T18:20:26Z")

</div>

The [Wikipedia page for heroin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin#Injection) has this to say:

> [@Wikipedia](#):
>
> Heroin base (commonly found in Europe), when prepared for injection will only dissolve in water when mixed with an acid (most commonly citric acid powder or lemon juice) and heated. Heroin in the East coast United States is most commonly found in the hydrochloride salt form, requiring just water (and no heat) to dissolve.

Why is heat required in the former case? Could a user without a heat source just patiently wait a little longer, or is heat an absolutely necessary condition for dissolution? If heat is necessary, why does it _stay_ dissolved even after cooling?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kaltkalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@kaltkalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaltkalt)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-iv-heroin-users-heat-their-heroin/682770/2 "2014-03-03T18:35:03Z")

</div>

sterilize. despite what you quoted you never find pure diacetyl morphine on the streets. it’s a powder or black tar that needs to be cooked to become liquid form. Even if the active chemical is water soluble the other impurities are not. And as i mentioned, you need to sterilize it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-iv-heroin-users-heat-their-heroin/682770/3 "2014-03-03T18:43:36Z")

</div>

> [@kaltkalt](#):
>
> sterilize. despite what you quoted you never find pure diacetyl morphine on the streets. it’s a powder or black tar that needs to be cooked to become liquid form. Even if the active chemical is water soluble the other impurities are not. And as i mentioned, you need to sterilize it.

Yeah, I remember a letter to an advice column in a men’s “health” muscle mag. The guy was asking about injecting steroids he’d gotten (from Mexico?) and based on the symptoms, sounded like he was getting serious deep muscle infections where he had injected.

I assume when injecting, you want to be a little more cautious than when inhaling or ingesting. You’re bypassing some very basic body defences. The substances you are playing with have probably been handled by people who were not heavily into hygiene or sterile facilities.