Heroin Spoon

Other pieces of heroin paraphernalia include straws or rolled bills to snort heroin, shoelaces or other pieces to tie off veins for injection use, cotton balls or cigarette filters, glass pipes, lighters, aluminum foil, and aluminum cans.

How to Identify a Heroin Spoon

It’s fairly easy to identify a heroin spoon. It looks like a blackened or burnt spoon.

The bowl of a spoon will often be blackened from the flame used to heat it up and liquefy the heroin. Cooking the heroin converts the substance from powder or solid form into an injectable liquid.

Most people who use heroin repeatedly use the same spoons since they use the drug frequently. This often results in a very blackened bottom of the spoon.

What Is a Heroin Spoon Used For?  

Heroin is sold and distributed in powder or tar form. The spoon is a vessel that facilitates liquefaction in order to transform the drug into an injectable substance. This is facilitated by placing the raw heroin in the bowl of the spoon and holding a flame underneath it. 

Heroin powder is required to dissolve in a liquid of some type, depending on the heroin, before cooking. Tar does not require a liquid. 

Other Objects Commonly Used With a Heroin Spoon

Other objects are commonly used with heroin. They are often considered paraphernalia and include the following:

• Cotton balls or cigarette filters
• Hypodermic needles
• Rubber tubing or shoelaces 
• Lighters
• Aluminum foil or cans

The cotton balls are used to soak up the liquified heroin. Sometimes, they are used as a sort of filter to “purify” the drug. Cigarette filters may be used for this purpose as well. 

Hypodermic needles are then used to suck up the liquid through the cotton ball. The rubber tubing or even shoelaces are used to tie around an arm before injection. This alters blood flow and makes the veins pop out, making it easier to inject into them.

In some instances, users may place heroin on aluminum foil or an aluminum can instead of a spoon. They then follow the same practice to heat the drug. 

Can Your Heroin Spoon Get You In Trouble?

A heroin spoon is technically considered drug paraphernalia. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, these devices are illegal under federal law. People who make these devices can face serious problems, but so can people who possess them. The drug residue at the bottom of your spoon could be legally problematic too.

States also have laws about drug paraphernalia. In Washington state, for example, the use of these tools is a misdemeanor, while trying to get rid of them (by dumping them on the ground while running from the police) could be a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor, depending on the quantity. Ohio also makes possession or use of paraphernalia a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

Common Street Names for a Heroin Spoon

Nicknames or slang terms are often used on the street to describe heroin and heroin paraphernalia. 

Common street names for a heroin spoon are cooker and bottle caps. Metal bottle caps are sometimes used in place of heroin spoons as well.

Dangers of Injecting Heroin

There are many dangers that come with injecting heroin. 

Skin infections can easily occur, and these are most commonly caused by contaminants in the heroin, utensils, or needles, as well as overall poor hygiene. Non-sterile equipment can often cause skin infections and abscesses to occur, which can lead to even more serious issues if ignored.

Heroin use causes heart problems and damage to the kidneys and liver. It can lead to endocarditis, which is inflammation and damage to the interior lining of the heart. Infections of the heart valves can also occur as a result of injecting heroin.

There is a high risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis C, and other infectious diseases when sharing needles for injection drug use.

The brain changes as a result of continued heroin use. Damage to the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe occurs, which affects memory, decision-making, self-control, and critical thinking.

Overdose is common with heroin use due to the effect on the opioid receptors in the brain. These receptors control several bodily functions, primarily respiratory and cardiac. When the respiratory system shuts down, the oxygen supply to the brain and heart drops. The person can then quickly die from cardiac and respiratory arrest.

While naloxone can temporarily reverse a heroin overdose, it requires someone to be in enough control to administer it. Its effects are also temporary, so further medical treatment is needed even if naloxone is given. 

How Can Bystanders Help?

Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. It can restore normal breathing in someone who has taken too much heroin, but it has no impact on someone who hasn’t used opioids.

In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a 4 mg naloxone product (Narcan) for over-the-counter sales without a prescription. Anyone who wants to get the medication can buy it at a pharmacy.

Narcan and other nasal forms of naloxone are easy to administer. Open the package, put the nozzle in the person’s nose, and spray. If the person doesn’t awaken within a few minutes, you can provide another dose.

While naloxone can be life-saving, it doesn’t negate the need for a doctor. Always call 911 when you think someone is overdosing, and ensure the person goes to the hospital for ongoing monitoring and medical care.

Understand Harm Reduction Strategies

Harm reduction is the concept of continued drug use in safer circumstances. While harm reduction isn’t part of a formal addiction treatment program, it could be a first step for someone who wants to reduce the risk of infections, contamination, and overdose.

A harm reduction program might involve the following:

• Clean equipment: Reusing needles can raise the risk of infections like hepatitis and HIV. Used needles can also be blunt and cause additional issues like infections and tissue damage.
• Safe spaces: Harm reduction might involve using heroin in the company of sober people who can step in if you use too much and begin to overdose.
• Drug testing: Some programs allow users to quickly test their street drugs before they inject them. A step like this could ensure that people don’t use substances like fentanyl when they don’t intend to do so.

The National Harm Reduction Coalition offers a robust search tool, allowing people to find harm reduction programs throughout the United States. If you don’t have a program near you, contact your state’s department of public health (find it here) for more help.

Medically Reviewed By Dr. Alison Tarlow

Dr. Alison Tarlow is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the States of Florida and Pennsylvania, and a Certified Addictions Professional (CAP). She has been a practicing psychologist for over 15 years. Sh... Read More