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Natural Narcotics

1 - OPIUM-

The Asiatic poppy is the source of the non-synthetic narcotics. The plant was grown in the Mediterranean region as early as 300 B.C. At various times it has been produced in Hungary , Yugoslavia , Turkey , India , Burma , China , and Mexico .

It was not until the early 1900s that restrictions were placed on the importation or use of opium in the United States . Back in those days, patent medicines often included opium, without any mention or warning on the label. People became addicted to these dangerous "medicines."

At the present time, state, federal, and international laws so control the opium traffic that there is little problem with opium use or addiction in this country.

There are at least 25 different organic substances which can be extracted from opium. All are alkaloids and fall into one or the other of two categories, each with different effects:

The first of these includes morphine and codeine, both of which are used as pain deadeners (analgesics) and also in cough suppressant mixtures.

The second includes papaverine, which is an intestinal relaxant, and noscapine, a cough suppressant; these have no significant influence on the central nervous system. Neither of these drugs are regulated.

Each year, about 250,000 kilograms of opium are legally imported into the United States . Most of it is processed by U.S. pharmaceutical and chemical firms for the manufacture of morphine and codeine, but a small amount

is placed in anti-diarrhea preparations, such as paregoric.

But, whether in morphine, codeine, or paregoric-it is still opium and can bring a terrible addiction if used very much.

The Asiatic poppy, Papaver somniferum, yields three natural narcotics and four semi-synthetic ones. Here they are:

Natural narcotics: opium, morphine, and codeine.

Semi-synthetic narcotics: heroin, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and etorphine and diprenorphine from thebaine. All of these poppy extracts or derivatives are discussed in this book.

2 - MORPHINE

Morphine is the second of three natural derivatives of the Asiatic poppy, Papaver somniferum.

Opium is extracted from the raw unripe poppy seeds. Morphine, which is about 4% to 21% of opium, is extracted from it. Morphine is one of the most effective pain killers known to man. It is sold to hospitals and physicians in the form of injectable ampoules, white crystals, and other injectable preparations. Morphine is odorless, bitter tasting, and darkens with age.

People who take several morphine injections very quickly develop a tolerance and addiction to it. "Tolerance" means that they must keep taking ever-increasing doses in order to achieve the same results.

Much of the morphine manufactured in the United States is converted into codeine.

Morphine is dangerous. It is highly addictive, and an ever-increasing amount is needed to satisfy the addict. People who take it generally move on up to cocaine or directly to that living horror, heroin. And heroin addicts, when they cannot obtain it, will try, without much success, to use morphine or cocaine to satisfy their terrible physical craving.

3 - CODEINE-

Codeine is about one-tenth as powerful as morphine and is found, along with alcohol, in cough medicines.

That which is first extracted from the poppy is raw opium. Codeine is found in raw opium in concentrations that range from 0.7 to 2.5 percent. It was first isolated in 1832 as an impurity in a batch of morphine. Although it can be separately derived from plant substances, most of the codeine produced is extracted from morphine.

Comparing the two, we find that codeine produces less analgesia (pain relief), less sedation (relaxant and sleep inducer) and respiratory depression (slowing of breathing).

Codeine (in the form of codeine tablets or combined with other substances, as in Emperin Compound or APC) is used for the relief of moderate pain. It is also to be found in liquid codeine preparations for the relief of coughs (antitussives), under such titles as Robitussin AC, Cheracol, and elixir of terpin hydrate with codeine. Codeine is also used in injectable form for moderate pain relief.

Along with morphine and cocaine, codeine is being used by dope addicts. The primary danger is that anyone taking codeine for "kicks"-will soon move on up to morphine or cocaine, and then to heroin. Therefore, leave codeine totally alone. Don't start climbing the narcotic ladder!