Opium (and the majority of its derivatives, with the exception of heroin which is Schedule I), is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance because of its medical benefit but potential for misuse. When misused, the tablets are crushed and snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Like morphine, it is used for pain relief. Oxycodone is synthesized from thebaine, a third component of opium. Browse the images below to learn more about each derivative. Opium has many derivatives, including morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and heroin. The trading and production of opium spread from the Mediterranean to China by the 15th century. Opium was even thought to protect the user from being poisoned. It was also used to induce sleep and to give relief to the bowels. Opium was known to ancient Greek and Roman physicians as a powerful pain reliever. The farmer takes his crop of opium to the nearest village where he will sell it to the dealer who offers him the best price. Recently, opium has been grown in Latin America, notably Colombia and Mexico. It flourishes in dry, warm climates and the vast majority of opium poppies are grown in a narrow, 4,500-mile stretch of mountains extending across central Asia from Turkey through Pakistan and Burma. Opium is grown mainly by impoverished farmers on small plots in remote regions of the world. Today, heroin’s long journey to drug traffickers begins with the planting of opium poppy seeds. Its cultivation spread along the Silk Road, from the Mediterranean through Asia and finally to China where it was the catalyst for the Opium Wars of the mid-1800s. Many countries began to grow and process opium to expand its availability and to decrease its cost. As people learned of the power of opium, demand for it increased. The Sumerians referred to it as Hul Gil, the "joy plant." The Sumerians soon passed it on to the Assyrians, who in turn passed it on to the Egyptians. when the opium poppy was cultivated in lower Mesopotamia (Southwest Asia). The earliest reference to opium growth and use is in 3,400 B.C. As misused drugs, they are often smoked, sniffed, or injected. However, they are some of the most addictive substances known to man. Narcotics are used therapeutically to treat pain, suppress cough, alleviate diarrhea, and induce anesthesia. The term “narcotic” refers to opium, opium derivatives, and their semi-synthetic substitutes. The poppy plant, Papaver somniferum, produces opium, a powerful narcotic whose derivatives include morphine, codeine, heroin, and oxycodone.
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