Recent findings in heroin and prescription drugs have led some experts to link the two and question if prescription drugs could be a gateway drug to heroin.
Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, responded:
A number of studies have suggested that people transitioning from abuse of prescription opioids to heroin cite that heroin is cheaper, more available, and provides a better high. In addition to these market forces, some have reported that perceptions of heroin use were softened after trying opioid pills.
In a recent survey of people in treatment for opioid addiction, almost all — 94 percent — said they chose to use heroin because prescription opioids were “far more expensive and harder to obtain.” However it should be noted that heroin use is rare among those who misuse prescription opioids.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), only a small fraction (less than 4 percent) of people are shifting from non-medical use of pain relievers to heroin use. Therefore, considering … this is a problem that hinges on individual vulnerability and untreated addiction, it stands to reason that severely tightening (or closing) access to one source of opioid drugs may push at least some opioid addicted individuals to seek alternative opioid sources (e.g., illegal heroin).
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