• Opium comes from the plant Papaver Somniferum, which means "plant of joy."
• Creates the category of Narcotics, which refers to narcosis
• Opium can be harvested for only about 1 week out of the year, after the plant drops its leaves
• The raw opium from the immature seed pod forms the base for medicinal opium derivatives, such as morphine and codeine
• Early modern uses of opium came in the form of laudanum, which had medicinal uses
• Those who began to abuse laudanum for recreational purposes were referred to as "opium eaters"
• The "opium wars" took place between Britain and China in 1839
• Britain won the war, and received Hong Kong as a result of their victory.
• Trade of heroin by the British ended in 1906

• Discovered by Frederich Serturner in 1806, who named the compound after the "God of Dreams," Morpheus.
• Found to be 10 times more powerful than opium, especially after the hypodermic syringe was perfected in 1853

• Codeine is Greek for "Poppy Head"
• Like morphine, it is naturally occurring in raw opium, but is much less potent (about 1 twelfth the strength of morphine)

• Heroin (diacetylmorphine) is chemically altered morphine in a way that makes the morphine molecule more soluble
• Heroin is therefore absorbed more quickly, and is three times as potent as morphine

• Meperidine USP (Demerol), 15% less potent than morphine
• Methadone USP (Dolophine) Longer lasting and less severe in terms of withdrawal compared to heroin
• Propoxyphene USP (Darvon) structurally related to methadone but less potent
• Pentazocine (Talwin), is both an agonist & antagonist

• Narcotics act upon the enkephalin & endorphin receptors, causing euphoria, pain relief & drowsiness
• Little is known how these drugs actually work in the brain
• Causes pupil constriction, depressed respiration, suppressed cough reflex in the medulla, and slowed the activity of the bowels

• Turkey, France, Western Europe, South America, Canada and the U.S., formerly known as the "French Connection"
• The "Golden Triangle", Burma, Thailand, Laos. Drugs are shipped through Bangkok, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Canada and western coast U.S.
• Mexico and west coast border areas (major producer of black or tar heroin)
• India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan

• Tolerance develops quickly
• Dependence develops more rapidly to the opiates that give a "rush" such as heroin
• The act of procuring and administering the drug also affects addiction/dependence
• Can cause cross tolerance
• Toxicity may be evidenced by vomiting, respiratory distress, coma, and pinpoint pupils

Hours since last dose and symptoms:

0 to 8 hours: No withdrawal symptoms

8 to 12 hours: Yawning, runny nose, tearing of the eyes, sweating

12 to 16 hours: Restless sleep lasting for several hours; addict awakes unrefreshed and miserable.

16 to 48 hours: Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, "cold turkey" goose bumps

48 to 72 hours: Peak of withdrawal; violent tremors, weakness, depression, intestinal spasm, back pain, alternate chills and flushing, involuntary orgasm, abnormal white cell count