According to a 2016 NEJM review, only a small fraction of people who use prescription opioids nonmedically go on to use heroin.
Sources
- Relationship between Nonmedical Prescription-Opioid Use and ... (nejm.org)
- https://kffhealthnews.org/public-health/policy-crackdowns-on-opioid-prescriptions-may-not-fuel-heroin-problems/ (kffhealthnews.org)
- https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-opioids-heroin/heroin-use-rare-in-prescription-drug-users (nida.nih.gov)
- https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/opioid-abuse-us-hhs-actions-address-opioid-drug-related-overdoses-deaths-0 (aspe.hhs.gov)