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The Opium Poppy - Natures Addictive Plant With its array of colors ranging from white to pink to red to purple to blue, it is a ower that has graced gardens around the world. Yetthe juice from this botanical beauty has sparked wars, created incalculable wealth, and wreaked indescribable suffering upon millions.

The Origins of OpiumThe earliest reference found to opium growth and use is in 3,400

B.C. when the opium poppy was cultivated in lower Mesopotamia.The Sumerians referred to it as Hul Gil , the joy plant. The Sumer-

ians soon passed it on to the Assyrians, who in turn passed it on tothe Egyptians. Its cultivation spread along the Silk Road, from theMediterranean through Asia and nally to China where it was the

catalyst for the Opium Wars of the mid-1800s.

The Silk RoadThe Silk Road is an 18th-century term for a series of intercon-nected routes that ran from Europe to China. By the late Mid-dle Ages the routes extended from Italy in the West to Chinain the East and to Scandinavia in the North. Opium was one ofthe products traded along the Silk Road.

Opium-An Ancient MedicineOpium was known to ancient Greek and Roman physicians as a pow-erful pain reliever. It was also used to induce sleep and to give relief tothe bowels. Its pleasurable effects were also noticed. Opium has manyderivatives, including morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and heroin.

Morphine In 1803, morphine, the principal ingredient in opium,was extracted from its resin. It is ten times more power-ful than processed opium. Hailed as a miracle drug, itwas widely prescribed by physicians in the mid-1800s.Morphine is one of the most effective drugs knownfor the relief of severe pain and remains the standardagainst which new pain relievers are measured.

CodeineCodeine, another component of opium, is medicallyprescribed for the relief of moderate pain and coughsuppression. It has less pain-killing ability than mor-phine and is usually taken orally. As a cough suppres-sant, it is found in a number of liquid preparations.

HeroinFirst synthesized from morphine in 1874, the Bayer Company ofGermany introduced heroin for medical use in 1898. Physiciansremained unaware of its addiction potential for years, but by 1903,heroin abuse had risen to alarming levels in the United States. Alluse of heroin was made illegal in 1924 by federal law.

OxycodoneOxycodone is synthesized from thebaine, a third com-ponent of opium. Like morphine, it is used for pain relief.Oxycodone is taken orally. When abused, the tablets arecrushed and snorted, or dissolved in water and injected.

The poppy plant, Papaver somni ferum , pro-duces opium, a powerful narcotic whosederivatives include morphine, codeine andheroin. The term narcotic refers to opium,opium derivatives, and their semi-syntheticsubstitutes. Narcotics are used therapeuti -cally to treat pain, suppress cough, alleviatediarrhea, and induce anesthesia. However,they are some of the most addictive sub-stances known to man.

Chinese Style Opium Pipesand Opium Smoking Tools

Part of a Boston Doctors Kit, Late 19th Century

The Opium Wars

Botanical Print of Papaver Somniferum

Opium and itsDerivatives

Heroin

PatentMedicines

Codeine Products

Opium Products

Morphine

SyntheticOpiates

The Poppy, Papaver somniferum

Originally ingested, opium was even-tually foun d to be smok able after 16thCentury traders returned from the New

World with a prized product: the pipe.

Syringe Kit As the 19th century progressed,

American doctors and patients ockedto use the growing array of the seem-ingly miraculous opiates: morphine,codeine, paregoric, laudanum andheroin. The widespread adoption ofthe hypodermic syringe made forfaster, more potent delivery of mor-phine. Doctors erroneously believedthat because the drug was injected, itbypassed the gastro-intestinal system,and therefore would not be addictive.

Chinese Workers Weigh Balls of OpiumThe opium was grown on English plantations in India for the EastIndia Company, and then exported to China where addiction ratessoared. In the mid-1800s, Chinese immigrants to America broughtthe habit of opium smoking with them and opium dens abounded.

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The Goddess of OpiumOpium was a revered substance, as evidenced by the poppy-seed headdress of this 14th century B.C. statue from Crete.

Image courtesy of Dr. Michael A. Bozarth, University of Buffalo

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Illegal Opium ProductionThere are three main sources for illegal opium: Burma, Af-ghanistan, and Colombia. Opium and heroin are ideal tradeproductsthey are in great demand, are very pro table toproduce, and the products take up little space. With mod-ern transportation, opium and heroin can be moved fromone country to any other within days or a few weeks.

Good Effects of OpiatesNo other substance has been foundto be as effective as opiates for themanagement of extreme pain. Inaddition to its analgesic qualities, itis a very effective cough suppres-sant, anti-diarrhea medication, andsleep-inducer.

Bad Effects of OpiatesThe major drawback of opiate use is its potential for abuse and addiction. Effects in-clude drowsiness, slurred speech, confusion, memory loss, pupil constriction, dilation ofthe blood vessels causing increased pressure in the brain, constipation, nausea, vomit-ing, weight loss, fatigue, hallucinations, sexual dysfunction, convulsions and respiratorydepression. Effects from using non-sterile needles and adulterants mixed with opiatesinclude skin, lung, and brain abscesses, endocarditis (in ammation of the lining of theheart), infected and collapsed veins, and diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.

Heroin Changes the Brain After heroin use is stopped, symptoms like depression, abnormal mood swings, insomnia,psychosis, and paranoia remain. These brain scans show a reduction in dopamine receptorswhich control judgment and behavior. This reduction is a result of regular heroin use.

How Heroin WorksHeroin binds to receptors in the brain andproduces feelings of euphoria. Its structuremimics that of a natural neurotransmitterand taps into the brains communicationsystem, interfering with the way nerve cellsnormally send, receive, and process infor-mation. This similarity in structure foolsreceptors and allows the drugs to lock ontoand activate the nerve cells. Above is amodel of an opiate chemical attaching to areceptor in the brain.

Opiates, Along with Other Drugs, Can Have Devastating Effects on the Body

Current Legal Production of OpiumLegal growing of opium for world medicinal use currently takes place inIndia, Turkey, and Australia. Two thousand tons of opium are producedannually and this supplies the world with the raw material needed tomake medicinal products.

Clandestine Heroin Laboratory in AfghanistanIn 2008 groups in Afghanistan produced 90 percent of the worlds

illicit opium, with traf ckers using clandestine labs well hidden inthe countrys topography.

Effects of Opiates on the Body

Legal Harvesting of Popp ies in India

From Seed to SaleToday, heroins long journey to drug addicts begins with illegal opi-um grown mainly by impoverished farmers on small plots in remoteregions of the world. It ourishes in dry, warm climates with the vastmajority of it grown in a narrow, 4,500-mile stretch of mountainsextending across northern Asia from Turkey through Pakistan andBurma. The farmer takes his crop of opium to the nearest villagewhere he will sell it to the dealer who offers him the best price.

Harvesting Opium PoppiesThe milky uid that seeps from cuts in the unripeseed pod of the poppy is scraped off and air-dried toproduce what is known as opium. The cuts are madewith a multi-bladed tool and the opium resin oozesout. The semi-dried resin is harvested with a curvedspatula and then dried in open wooden boxes. Thedried opium resin is placed in bags or rolled into balls.

Scored Poppy Seed Heads Oozing Opium Resin

Scraping off the Opium Resin

Dried Opium Resin Packed into Bags

Opium ProductionPoppy Scoring and Scraping Tools

Drugs Affect Your BodyLong-term alcohol abusecan increase your risk of:

Heart disease High blood pressure Liver disease Stroke Cancer of the mouth

and throat Birth defects

Cocaine abusecan cause:

Heart attacks Seizures Coma Strokes Blurred vision Nausea

Tobacco use is theleading preventablecause of death in

the United States!Nicotine, only oneof more than 4,000chemicals in the smokeof tobacco products,substantially increasesthe risk of:

Lung cancer Heart disease Heart attack Stroke Vascular disease

Heroin use can cause: Scarred orcollapsed veins

Infections of the blood vessels, heart, and skin

Liver disease Kidney disease Brain damage Miscarriage and

premature delivery

Inhalants can cause: Severe brain damage Memory loss Dementia Impaired reasoning Loss of coordination

Smoking marijuana can cause:

Learning and memory problems

Loss of coordination Anxiety and panic

attacks Increased heart rate Persistent cough

Ecstasy (MDMA)can cause:

Confusion Drug craving Severe anxiety Nausea Blurred vision Teeth-clenching

Under the inuence of alcohol and opiates

Normal Respiration, Chemicals in balance

G A B A

G A B A

G l u t a m a t e

G l u t a m a t e

Glutamateincreasesrespiration

GABA

decreasesrespiration

Result: Breathing is normal

Result: Breathing slows down and may stop

AlcoholdecreasesGlutamate

OpiatesincreaseGABA

The Effects of Combining Drugs

Opiate Combinations Can Have Deadly ConsequencesMany deaths occur as a result of combinations between drugs that, when taken together,can have lethal effects. Glutamate and GABA are two chemicals in the body that affectbreathing. Glutamate is a chemical that works to increase breathing (excitatory). GABAis a chemical that works to decrease breathing (inhibitory). Normally these two chemicalsare in balance in the body. Alcohol decreases the effects of glutamate, causing breathingto slow down. Opiates increase the effect of GABA, also causing breathing to slow down.When combined, the impulse to breathe can be totally suppressed, causing death.

700 Army Navy DriveArlington, VA 22202

202-307-3463Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 10-4

For more information , please visitthe Drug Enforcement Adminis tration (DEA)

Museum and Visitors Center

www.deamuseum.org

Image idea courtesy of Genetic Science Learning Center, University of Utah

Image courtesy of NIDA

Image courtesy of NIDA

Image courtesy of Arizona Science Center