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Where Does Opium Come From? | Addicted to Pleasure | BBC Studios

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Consumption of Opium dates back to the Neolithic age. Its influence can be seen over time from the lines in Homer's Odyssey "Into the bowl in which their wine was mixed, she slipped a drug that had the power of robbing grief and anger of their sting and banishing all painful memories" to the songs by Guns N' Roses, Pink Floyd, etc. Though influential, it has introduced the society to some of the most dangerous issues like drug addiction. So, here we bring some interesting facts about Opium so that you can judge for yourself how good or bad the use of Opium and its derivatives can be: Image: thedailybeast.com

6. Physically and Psychologically Addictive!

8. Opium and the Father of Medicine!

9. Feeling Pain? Have Opium!

10. And the Opium Becomes a Villain!

11. The Capital of Opium Production!

12. Opium and Chinatowns!

14. A Favourite Drug of Celebrities!

16. Quitting Cold Turkey!

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Consumption of Opium dates back to the Neolithic age. Its influence can be seen over time from the lines in Homer's Odyssey "Into the bowl in which their wine was mixed, she slipped a drug that had the power of robbing grief and anger of their sting and banishing all painful memories" to the songs by Guns N' Roses, Pink Floyd, etc.

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Opium can be considered a get away drug because it can be used to trigger heroine.

Opium influences literature. This may surprise you but the person who created Alice in Wonderland was an avid opium user.

Babies are born addicts to opium, there has been a major increase in babies born to be addicts since 2000-2009.

Opium is used in foods, mainly used for decorations in pastries, oil extracted are used in pastries.

People do abuse opium and can sometimes end up dying.

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We can help you find local opiate addiction treatment, call 800-429-5210 for a free referral.

The history of opium goes back to ancient times when the drug was used for ritual purposes and for anesthesia. The ancient Egyptians, Indians, and Romans used opium as a pain reliever and often included the drug in surgical procedures to keep pain at bay. The drug is even mentioned in medical texts from the ancient world that date back to the times and writings of Dioscorides, Galen and Avicenna.

Opium continued to be used for medical uses up through the American Civil War at which time other medications were developed and derived from the poppy plant to be used. Today, drugs like morphine and opioids are derived from the poppy plant, the same plant that is used to make opium. These opium derivatives are widely used throughout medical practices. The medical world has evolved opium rather significantly over the years and developed new medications that can be injected at controlled doses for better use.

Historically, opium was used for recreational purposes during the 15 th century but because it was a rare drug that carried a rather high expense, this use was limited. The use of opium would not become a more regular part of Chinese history until the 17 th century when the drug is more widely available. During this time, opium was mixed with tobacco and smoked throughout China and opium addiction was first being noticed.

The British encouraged Chinese opium use in order to increase the balance of trading that they had with China. As a result, the British would deliver opium from India to China openly. The cultivation of opium, or of the poppy plant in India, was governed by the British under the East India Company. The government agency would supervise and oversee the production and shipment of opium for many years.

In 1839 as well as in 1858, massive confiscation of opium by the Chinese emperor who wished to stop the opium deliveries led to two Opium Wars. At that time, opium was traded all over the country by the British and opium use would continue to be widespread in domestic production. Ultimately, more than 25% of all Chinese men would be opium consumers by the early 1900s.

It wasn't until that late 19 th century that opium use for recreational purposes affected other nations. In time, global regulation of the drug would begin but this action would not fully take place until after the 1870s when town ordinances were created in San Francisco, California and other areas. In 1909, the International Opium Commission was formed to further regulate opium.

During this time period, opium was being purified into morphine and heroin was also being created from the drug. Both of these would become widely available for recreational use through injection as well as in patent medicines that contained opiates derived from the poppy plant.

The 20 th century brought major changes as opium was prohibited from many countries. This regulation would greatly reduce the level of opium use but it would also lead to what is now modern production of the drug for illicit street purposes. Tight regulatory practices keep opium that is used to develop legal prescription drugs under check too.

Today, opium production is dominated by Afghanistan but the level of production is significantly less than it once was. Worldwide production of opium is estimated at around 7 metric tons per year versus nearly 35 metric tons that were produced in 1906 prior to the major regulatory actions that were taken during the 20 th century.

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The history of opium goes back to ancient times when the drug was used for ritual purposes and for anesthesia. The ancient Egyptians, Indians, and Romans used opium as a pain reliever and often included the drug in surgical procedures to keep pain at bay.

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Opium was commonly used as an analgesic until the development of morphine. Morphine continues to be prescribed for relief of severe pain, but fears of its addictive potential have limited its use. Laudanum was used in the 1800s to promote sleep and alleviate pain; codeine suppresses coughing; paregoric stops diarrhea. Medicinal opiates were freely available in the United States and Europe in the 19th cent., and the number of addicted people surged as a result.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Pharmacology

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Opium was commonly used as an analgesic until the development of morphine. Morphine continues to be prescribed for relief of severe pain, but fears of its addictive potential have limited its use. Laudanum was used in the 1800s to promote sleep and

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Opium can be smoked/In hailed by making a cigarette from the powder that is extracted from opium poppy which is then crushed. It can also be injected much like heroin. It can also be ingested  by pill form

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Opium has many street names some are Big O, Black Pill, and Joy Pill. These are all street names that police have found being used all over the world

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1. Opium is not as bad as other drugs.
Opium is actually one of the more dangerous drugs it has the same affects as heroin
2. Smoking Opium is the only way to use it.
It can be inhaled, injected, eaten, and drunk
3.Only wealthy people can get addicted to opium
Anyone can get addicted to opium actually people who live in poor countries have a tendacy to get addicted more

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Depression
Blue Fingernails
Hives
Chills
Limited Coordination
Reduced anxiety

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It causes a short time high it lasts 3-4 hours. When opium is smoked it is absorbed into the blood and is taken to all the vital organs and effects all the senses.  It has a sedative effect

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People who live in poor countries tend to get addicted because opium is farmed in poorer countries. In some parts of Asia it is culturally excepted. Pakistan is the leading opium producing country.  Opium is grown mostly along a 4,500 mile stretch through central Asia, Turkey, Pakistan and Burma so those farmers will tend to be exposed more to opium and have a higher chance or addiction. At the same time, anyone can be addicted to Opium. Those in severe pain can be addicted since it is mainly used as a pain reliever.

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Opium is used to give a person a high and most of opium is used to make heroin. Opium was used as an analgesic, until the development of morphine. To this day Opium is still used in the medical field in order to relieve severe pain. but of fear of addiction, it is prescribed as a limited amount of time. The drug has been used for centuries so it has not just been discovered, and it was always known to be addictive which is why it is limited in distribution. In ancient times it was used for religious purposes and anesthesia. Which is why it is used to relieve pain but is rarely used since it is known to be highly addictive