The M In A To Z Poppies

The M in A to Z poppies stands for morphine, this is one of the drugs that is found in the opium poppy after the sap is processed. To manufacture the morphine the sap must be extracted from the pod of the Papaver somniferum and this is done by making slices in the pod with a nutshar. After the slices are made a milky latex substance will seep from the slices and is left to dry into a gummy substance.

This is then taken from the pod and mixed with lime in boiling water, parts of the waste will sink to the bottom and on the surface of the water will be a white band. This is the morphine forming and it is skimmed off of the water. This process is done in makeshift labs in the opium poppy fields as it is easier to transport and smuggle out of the country.

It is then mixed with ammonia and reheated and will be filtered a second time. After this the substance is boiled until it is reduced to a brown paste and then it is poured into molds and dried in the sun. At this point it has a consistency of modeling clay and is a morphine base that can be sold or processed further into heroin.

In this stage it can be used as morphine based medicines and it can also be smoked as was popular in the 17th century by the Dutch.

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