medical uses of opium and the danger of illegal cultivation and trade

1. Opium

2. Opium :
Botanical Opium
Source plant(s)
Papaver
somniferum
Part(s) of plant latex
Geographic origin
Uncertain,
possibly Southern
Europe[1]
Active ingredients
Morphine,
Codeine
Main producers
Afghanistan
(primary),
Pakistan,
Northern India,
Thailand, Turkey,
Laos, Burma,
Mexico,
Colombia,
Hungary

3. Opium :
Main
consumers
Worldwide (#1:
U.S.)
Wholesale price
$3,000 per
kilogram (as of
2002)[
Retail price
$16,000 per
kilogram (as of
2002)

4. history
 The first known cultivation of opium poppies was in
Mesopotamia
 approximately 3400 BCE, by Sumerians.
 who called the plant hul gil, the "joy plant
 Opium production continued under the Babylonians
and Egyptians

5. Big challenge
 11 October 2011 - Opium poppy-crop cultivation in
Afghanistan reached 131,000 hectares in 2011, 7 per
cent higher than in 2010, due to insecurity and high
prices.
 78 per cent of cultivation was concentrated in
Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Day Kundi and Zabul
provinces in the south.

6. Opium latex content
 Opium (poppy tears, lachryma papaveris) is the dried
latex obtained from the opium poppy (Papaver
somniferum).
 Opium latex contains analgesic alkaloid morphine,
which is processed chemically to produce heroin and
other synthetic opioids for medicinal use and for the
illegal drug trade.
 The latex also contains the closely related opiates
codeine and thebaine and non-analgesic alkaloids
such as papaverine and noscapine

7. Method of obtaining latex
 The traditional, labor-intensive, method of obtaining
the latex is to scratch ("score") the immature seed pods
(fruits) by hand.
 the latex leaks out and dries to a sticky yellowish
residue that is later scraped off, and dehydrated.

8. collection
 scoring the pods with an iron
scoop (nushtar ) in the
afternoon
 collected poppy juice in
the morning
 Incisions are made three or four
times at intervals of
two to three days
 Latex is bitter in taste

10. Examples of Natural Substance
Opioids
 Opium (mother drug)
 Morphine (chief alkaloid ingredient of opium)
 Codeine (minor alkaloid ingredient)
 Thebaine (minor component but has stimulant
effect)

11. Examples of
Synthetic Narcotics
 Meperidine (first synthetic narcotic
produced)
 Darvon (close relative to methadone)
 Fentanyl (intravenous analgesic-
anesthetic)

12. Heroin
 Heroin (diacetylmorphine) is derived from the
morphine alkaloid found in opium and is roughly 2-3
times more potent.
 A highly addictive drug, exhibits :
- Euphoric
- anxiolytic and
- analgesic central nervous system properties

13. Medical use
 Under the chemical name diamorphine,
diacetylmorphine is prescribed as a strong analgesic
in the United Kingdom.
 it is given via subcutaneous, intramuscular,
intrathecal or intravenous route.
 Its use includes treatment for acute pain, such as in
severe physical trauma, myocardial infarction,
post-surgical pain, and chronic pain, including end-
stage cancer and other terminal illnesses

14. Herion Administration
 Heroin is most often:
- injected
- may also be vaporized ("smoked")
- sniffed ("snorted")
- used as a suppository
- orally ingested.
- Smoking and sniffing heroin do not produce a "rush"
as quickly or as intensely as intravenous injection.
 Heroin can be addictive by any given route.

15. Herion Administration
 Heroin is injected, sniffed/snorted, or smoked.
 Abuser usually inject 4x’s daily.
 Intravenous injection-rapid onset of euphoria (7 to 8
seconds).
 Intramuscular injection-slow onset of euphoria (5 to 8
minutes).

16. Effect of heroin
 Heroin is metabolized to morphine and other
metabolites which bind to opioid receptors in the
brain.
 The short-term effects of heroin abuse appear soon
after a single dose and disappear in a few hours.
 After an injection of heroin, the user reports feeling a
surge of euphoria (the "rush") and warm flushing of
the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities

17. Short –Term Effects of
Herion
 "Rush."
 Depressed respiration.
 Clouded mental functioning.
 Nausea and vomiting.
 Suppression of pain.

18. Short –Term Effects of
Herion
 Spontaneous abortion
 Dry mouth, a heavy feeling in the extremities
 Rush-accompanied by a warm flushing of the
skin.
 Nausea, vomiting, and severe itching.
 constricted ("pinpoint") pupils

19. Long Term Effects of Herion
 Withdrawal may occur within a few hours after the
last time the drug is taken.
 Endocarditis.
 Symptoms of withdrawal include;
 Restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia,
diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps
("cold turkey"), and leg movements.

20. Long-term Effects of Herion
 Addiction
 Infectious diseases, for
example, HIV/AIDS and
hepatitis B and C
 Collapsed veins
 Physical dependence
develops with higher doses
of the drug.

21. Long-term Effects of Herion
 Abscesses
 Infection of heart lining and valves
 Arthritis and other rheumatic problems
 Bacterial infections
 Effects of heroin overdose may also include slow
and shallow breathing, hypotension, muscle spasms,
convulsions, coma, and possible death.

22. Treatment
 Naloxone and naltrexone are medications that also
block the effects of morphine, heroin, and other
opiates. As an antagonists, they are especially useful as
antidotes. It may be use with buprenorphine
(Subutex®)
 Methadone ( Dolophine®, Methadose®) , is a
synthetic opiate that can be used to treat heroin
addiction. it can block the effects of heroin for up to 72
hours with minimal side effects when taken orally.

23. Thank you