PS268 Chapter 10: Opiates
Document Summary
Opiates (i. e. morphine, codeine, heroine, oxycodone) at low concentrations have be effective way to manage pain. At higher doses (especially when injected, snorted or smokes) can produce extremely powerful euphoria. Poppy used for thousands of years to train pain/other ailments. In europe, use of opium began during 16th century in form of laudanum (includes opium and other ingredients and is added to food/drink notably tea) Not all species of poppies produce opium. When taken orally, raw opium has limited potency, little evidence suggests orally consumed raw opium was abused: this changed considerably with introduction of smoking. Smoked opium markedly increases effects of chemicals (morphine, codeine, thebaine) and increases abuse potential due to rapid delivery into the brain. Opium smoking spread rapidly throughout china, and addictions became quite common: 1729 chinese banned opium smoking, however the british controlled the opium trade, eventually leading to the first opium war (1839-1842) Term narcotic" was used to describe the effects of this sleep-inducing drug.
