ScienceDirect - Drug and Alcohol Dependence : Fluctuations in heroin purity and the incidence of fatal heroin overdose
i dont have time at the moment to read the paper, but i decided to go on the abstract to provide a sense of what we're talking about in terms of what 1.5 pounds of pure heroin is. the study tracked a population of 332 people in the context of which there were 61 overdoses over a 3 week period. the purity level for the overdose cases averaged about 40%.
if you think about it, there's something a bit strange about this whole trial, but leaving that aside because i'm doing this quick-like before i have to leave...let's say the doses were standard and what accounts for the overdosing is fluctuation in quality. 40% seems problematic--so let's assume that the average street-level dose of heroin is about 33% pure. so multiply 1.5 lb by 3.
here
Drugs and Human Performance FACT SHEETS - Morphine (and Heroin)
the doses reported range from 5-1500 mg but maintenance is apparently in the 3-500 mg/day range.
so let's assume that a third of that is actually heroin.
1.5 pounds is A LOT of heroin.