Objective: To build a state of the art about the approaches through which the problem of heroin use in Colombia has been constructed and investigated. Methodology: Qualitative with a bibliographic review method and an analysis technique by means of the specialized analytical summary (RAE) of the documents relevant to the state of the art, developed between 1986 and 2019. Results: The concrete compilation of all the information and the themes that were addressed in four approaches for the analysis of the construction of the problem of heroin consumption in Colombia: the legal-repressive, the medical-sanitary, the religious-normative and the sociocultural. Conclusions: In Colombia, construction and research on the problem of heroin consumption has focused on legal, medical and religious approaches, therefore, it is essential to expand research from a sociocultural perspective, which will allow a deeper understanding of the problem.