Heroin Helper

Scoring on the Street

It is an unfortunate reality that from time to time, all heroin users will be forced to score on the street. Scoring on the street is the most common way that users get arrested for possession. There are a number of things users can do to limit their risks, however.

Be Prepared

Don't wait until you have to score on the the street to find out how it should be done. If you are desperate, you will be more likely to make mistakes. Waiting until the last minute also means that you are less likely to do the required preliminary research about the local "heroin scene" and this can result in your experience being much more dangerous.

Read the Paper

You may think it far-fetched that research could be done about the local heroin subculture in your area--apart from having first hand experience. Nonetheless, your first stop in getting a handle on the heroin subculture is your local newspaper. Because of the drug hysteria in this country, newspapers commonly run stories about police "crack downs" and other actions. Things to notice:

Drug Selling Areas: Newspapers usually provide enough information to allow one to create a map of where in the city to buy which drugs. These stories are always run in the name of reporting on the "drug scourge" in the city, but the effect is the same. This is similar to insurance companies that send out information on how to spot a drunk driver--the information is generally used by those driving while drunk to avoid detection. It is important to remember, however, that drug selling areas listed in the newspapers will be highly patrolled by the police--the newspapers get most of their information from the police.
Vice Days: Many police departments have "vice days". These are days when the police focus their attention on known drug hot spots. Often police wagons will be brought in and ten to twenty people will be arrested at once.; Vice days are usually scheduled; that is, they are the same day or days every week. Newspapers mights provide this information, but keep in mind that they might be called something other than "vice days". They might also not be called anything special at all. Look for articles about large numbers of people being arresting on drug charges--the information will be between the lines. If large numbers of drug arrests are made each Wednesday, then that is the vice day--regardless of what it is called.

Visit the 'Hood

The people on the street and who live in the areas where drugs are sold are a good source of information. In particular, beggars can provide a wealth of information for a couple of dollars. It is usually a good idea to consult with a few beggars, however. They will give you information regardless of what they know.

City. It is also a good idea to just visit the area and check out what is going on--without trying to make any contacts. This will probably give you a good idea of what is going on in the neighborhood. You must be careful, however. In some areas, strangers will be accosted by dealers. Such situations may become dicey if you are not prepared to "do business". It is important to protect yourself by driving through a few times and limiting your stay until you have a good idea of what behavior is acceptable.

Conclusion

Heroin is available in every city in the world, but each area in each city is different. The more you know about the area in which you score, the safer you will be--both from law enforcement and from dangerous private citizens. Learn as much as you can about an area before you attempt to score in that area.

by Dr. H © 2001
Last Modified: 9 January 2004