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What is Opium?

Opium is produced by lacerating immature seed pods on opium poppies. It is a narcotic in its own right, and has been used throughout the world for thousands of years - it wasn’t until recent times that heroin was synthesised from opium and the world was introduced to the potent, deadly drug. Without opium, heroin would not exist, and without opium poppies, opium would not exist.

Opium poppies are cultivated in many regions throughout the world - some places operate legal operations, offering opium supplies to medical goods distributors working to produce morphine. The majority of the opium trade in the world, however, comes from illegal growing plots, mainly located in Mexico, Colombia, South East Asia and - in the vast majority - Afghanistan. These illicit suppliers of opium export the narcotic to people and places throughout the world where it is - far more often than not - manufactured into heroin for sale in the major drug markets across the world.

Opium poppy fields prove a far more tempting business venture for farmers with low incomes - they can often make around ten times more money farming opium than they can by growing something legal, such as wheat. It is for this reason that so many farmers across places like Afghanistan are tempted into getting involved in these illegal activities.

The use of opium has, as mentioned, existed for thousands of years for medicinal and ritualistic reasons. It took a while, but eventually it began being used as a recreational drug - not like the heroin we have today, as that wasn't discovered until the late 19th century, but it was soon discovered to have similar addictive qualities, and was banned or controlled in many countries. Opium was smoked or consumed orally in the most part, and produced highs similar to those produced by manufactured heroin, though far less potent. Opium was even the cause of two wars between Britain and China, around the mid 19th century.

The opium poppy is a seemingly benign  plant, but with some simple cultivation it became one of the most sought after commodities in the world. With a bit more chemistry and science applied, it soon became one of the most reviled narcotics of recent history, with the birth of heroin.