Opium

Opium is obtained in the pod of the Papaver somnifeum, as this is where the alkaloids are stored in the plant. These alkaloids have had a long history of use by ancient medical professionals some of who we still know their names today because of the impression they left on history, such as Hippocrates and Discorides and other writers who have told of its use in ancient Egypt and other civilizations.

They also have along history of illicit drug use, beginning with Portuguese sailors and others smoking opium, then in use as laudanum that became a way for treating every illness even the minor headache. There were the opium dens of the UK and the western frontier of America.

The opium is extracted from the pod of the poppy plant a placing the shallow slices in the pod from which a substance seeps out. This substance is the alkaloids that are opium and that can become morphine, codeine and other drugs.

Today while opium is still used in making some opiate drugs such as codeine and oxycontin the fact that opium is addicting is well known, as illegal use rises each year, with as much as 70% of the illegal opium coming from Afghanistan.

This drug can be used in many forms such as opium tea, heroin and manufactured opiate drugs, it does not matter which of these is used they are all highly addicting. Because of this, the law surrounding the use of opiates are very stringent.