Heroin is an unsafe drug, but impure heroin, injected with a needle that has been used and "cleaned" multiple times increases the dangers.
Making sure that heroin is hard to get makes people turn to other drugs. (Because addicts are addicted, and drug addicts take drugs.) One alternative to heroin is the Russian drug krokodil - desomorphine - often made using a variety of weird things.
...and keeping them illegal adds to the danger.
Heroin is an unsafe drug, but impure heroin, injected with a needle that has been used and "cleaned" multiple times increases the dangers.
Making sure that heroin is hard to get makes people turn to other drugs. (Because addicts are addicted, and drug addicts take drugs.) One alternative to heroin is the Russian drug krokodil - desomorphine - often made using a variety of weird things.
CAUTION: GRAPHIC IMAGES
(http://www.krokodildrug.com/what-is-krokodil-drug-how-to-sto...)
EDIT: MORE HORRIFIC IMAGES
(http://www.democracyindistress.com/2011/09/warning-graphic-p...) (apologies for partisan source)