opium/opiates Flashcards
Process of extraction from opium poppy and other alkaloids
score the seeds with knife to generate latex (approx 80mg per seed pod) and then dissolve in boiling water to separate the plant matter - produces “cooked opium” - a brown paste
also contains codeine, narceine (some narcotic activity), noscapine ( antitussive), and papaverine (antispasmodic - no narcotic effect)
Ancient use of opium
used in ancient greece, rome, and egypt. used for suicide when joined with hemlock. opium soaked sponges used for surgery.
from 400CE onwards was taken by arabs to india and china for medicinal uses. Ibn Sina described the effects of opium in The Canon of Medicine.
Early european opium use
Paracelsus popularised opium as the “stone of immortality”. was credited with the name of laudanum.
crude extracts were being used in the 17th century, being vaporised in opium lamps.
Opium was also used for gout and as a sleep aid as stated in 1791 elements of medicine by john brown. Around this time saw a rapid increase in consumption
Opium wars and background
from 1729 China sold herbal teas to england for silver. The british east india company controlled the opium trade in china and organised the smuggling of opium to recover their silver.
China criminalised opium (death penalty) in 1799 and 20000 crates of opium were destroyed by 1831.
in 1839 first opium war started and britain seized hong kong. following the second opium war in 1856, Britain used hong kong to continue selling opium into china after forcing the legalisation of opium on china.
Opium and art
In the 19th century opium was heavily involved in many artists work. They claimed it facilitated access into their subconscious. they experimented with opium and hashish, such as at the club des haschishines which had many prominent members.
Opium is referenced in a lot of historical texts, both positively and negatively.
History of opium dens
Staff would provide opium, pipes, and bedding. found across china, southeast asia, france and USA.
In the USA, the roots are likely from chinese workers that started consumption in Chinatown in san fransisco, and by the early 1900s, it had spread to new york.
Kratom
A plant that contains mitragynine, a partial mu-opiod agonist. has analgesic and euphoric effects. reduced toxicity and less respiratory depression than morphine.
Legal in many countries and US states.
Present day opium production and changes in the supply
Most opium is produced in afghanistan (80%). large amounts were being produced over the last decades
Following taliban take over, they made the cultivation illegal in 2022, so the production dropped by 95% in afghanistan
