Heroin is a semi-synthetic derivative of morphine.

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Heroin is classified as a semi-synthetic opioid because it starts from a natural opiate, morphine, and is chemically modified. Natural opiates are compounds that occur in opium, like morphine and codeine. Semi-synthetic derivatives are created by altering these natural opiates to form new drugs; heroin (diacetylmorphine) is morphine with two acetyl groups added, which increases its lipid solubility and allows it to reach the brain very quickly. Fully synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl or methadone, are made entirely in the lab and aren’t direct derivatives of morphine. An analgesic identical to morphine would be morphine itself, not heroin. So the statement that heroin is a semi-synthetic derivative of morphine is the best description.