Here in Canada heroin is also associated with less violence since its relatively inexpensive from the source so losing a load from India to customs isn't the end of the world to a drug dealer's operation whereas cocaine is traded on large loans, so any loss means violence is the only answer to get the money back.
What's happened the last few years is even cheaper synthetic opioids is available from Chinese factories, and as it's legal there no connections are needed to export it, so mid-tier and lower street gangs here have made their own startups buying and exporting the cheap synthetics (Fentanyl, Carfentanil ect) directly effectively bypassing the traditional pipeline that was bringing in heroin for decades. Naturally this has lead to a ton of violence and overdoses as users get synthetic adulterated heroin instead of their usual dose and gangs fight over control of the much more profitable synthetic trade.
When China and other countries makes the synthetics illegal (China already made it illegal to export to Canada a few weeks ago, not sure about the US) it will go back to being too expensive to self import since petty gangs here will need connections there, and the heroin pipeline will resume again with overdoses falling until of course, another loophole legal synthetic is discovered.
What's happened the last few years is even cheaper synthetic opioids is available from Chinese factories, and as it's legal there no connections are needed to export it, so mid-tier and lower street gangs here have made their own startups buying and exporting the cheap synthetics (Fentanyl, Carfentanil ect) directly effectively bypassing the traditional pipeline that was bringing in heroin for decades. Naturally this has lead to a ton of violence and overdoses as users get synthetic adulterated heroin instead of their usual dose and gangs fight over control of the much more profitable synthetic trade.
When China and other countries makes the synthetics illegal (China already made it illegal to export to Canada a few weeks ago, not sure about the US) it will go back to being too expensive to self import since petty gangs here will need connections there, and the heroin pipeline will resume again with overdoses falling until of course, another loophole legal synthetic is discovered.