There is a widespread notion that dangerous adulteration adds considerably to the risks of illicit drug use. It’s often implied that users play a kind of pharmacological Russian roulette. In fact, the risks from dangerous cutting agents are negligible. Cutting…
Tag Archive for purity
Druglink article 1994 – A street drug analysis service by Chris Hughes
Several factors combined to lead the Hillingdon Drug Education Team, its partners in the youth service and the police to develop a scheme for the analysis of illicit drugs. A street drug analysis service (PDF)
Druglink factsheet 1994 – What’s in a drug?
A note on terminology – impurity, adulterants, diluents and excipients. Batch to batch variations. Drug content guidelines for the main drugs. How can you tell what a drug is? What’s in a drug? (PDF)
Druglink article 1993 – Solved by the grapevine by Clive Brind, Anthony Farrington and Andrew Fraser
Heroin users helped trace the source of a mysterious spate of deaths. Solved by the grapevine (PDF)
Purity
How pure are drugs? It is a truism that there is no such thing as quality control in the illicit market. Often the street seller doesn’t know the drug content of the goods they offer so what chance the buyer…
Heroin and other opiates
Boy, brown, china white, dragon, gear, H, horse, junk, skag, smack, diamorphine, morphine, methadone, opium, codeine, pethidine, dihydrocodeine (DF118), palfium, diconal, temgesic, physeptone What is heroin? Heroin (diamorphine) is one of a group of drugs called ‘opiates’. These drugs are…
Ecstasy
What is ecstasy? Brownies, cowies, dolphins, doves, E, eckies, Edward, fantasy, love doves, M and Ms, New Yorkers, sweeties, tulips, X, XTC, MDMA (powder), Mandy, MD, Molly Ecstasy comes in pill and powder forms or, very occasionally, as crystals. The…
Cocaine and crack
What is cocaine? Coca paste – basuco, Powder cocaine – C, charlie, coke, blow, dust, Gianlucca, gold dust, Percy, lady, snow, toot, white, crack – base, freebase, gravel, rock, stones, wash. What is cocaine powder? Cocaine is a white powder derived…
Druglink in 2015
In 2015 Druglink changed format to become a website. Below are the articles published before DrugScope closed in March 2015: Further down a stony road: reporting on the 2014 Street Drugs Trend Survey; Love me tender: the state of the…
How pure are street drugs?
There is no proper quality control over illegal drugs. It is often difficult to know whether a powder, pill, herb or liquid is a particular drug. Furthermore you may have no idea how strong the dose is or whether it contains other…