Poppy history

The poppy has a long history spanning thousands of years, it has been an honored flower and it is been a flower that was made illegal. There is written history that supports the fact the opium poppy was in use as early as 3400 B.C. by the ancient Mesipatainians, it was written of by Hippocrates and Discordies. The ancient Egyptians wrote of burying their Pharos with poppies to send them on a peaceful journey and the ancient Greeks had several gods and goddesses that carried or wore crowns of poppies.

The use of opium as a medicinal was in wide use throughout history until the years of 1300 and until 1500. As it was believed that anything coming from the regions the opium poppy was grown in, was a plant of the Devil. By the 1500’s the use of opium was again being used as a medicinal and this was the beginning of widespread use for recreation by smoking the opium.

During the Victorian years and Colonial America opium was being made into tinctures and tonics such as Laudanum that was widely used by families to treat every member. This would continue including the use of morphine in the United States until the Harrison Act was put in place in 1914 prohibiting the use of opium products.

By the time laws were being put into place and opium dens were being banished there were thousands of people that had become addicted to opium or its alkaloids.