DEFINITIONS HALLUCINOGENIC DRUGS, SYNTHETIC DRUGS DRUGS AND THE WAR AGAINST THEM DRUG CLASSIFICATION DRUGGING DRUG TAKING ROUTES A LITTLE HISTORY CANNABIS SATIVA (HEMP) OPIATES COCAIN AMPHETAMINES AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES HALLUCINOGENS BENZODIAZEPINAT – BZD NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

OPIATES

HISTORY

Traces of the use of hallucinogenic plants (opiates) go so far back in prehistoric times that some authors estimate that the idea of God may have appeared to people after an experience with hallucinations.

Archaeological data hypothesize that Neanderthal man may have used poppies over thirty thousand years ago.

The first known written reference comes from a Sumerian text dating about 4000 years before the New Era.

The opium poppy was cultivated in the plains of Mesopotamia long before 3,400 years before the New Era.

Egyptian Pharaohs were buried with opium artifacts (items).

Opium could easily be drunk in the street markets of Rome.

Homer, in his work "Odyssey" (8th century BC) describes the use of opiates as a drug called "nepenthe" (the herb of forgetfulness):

But then Helen "...had a thoughtful idea. Into the bowl, in which their wine was mixed, she secretly dropped a drug that had the power to remove grief and anger from their hearts and to banish all painful memories."

Since the 8th century AD, the use of opium has spread to Arabia and India

The Arabs used opium because the Prophet had forbidden the use of alcohol and not hashish and opiates.

Opium was also widely used in ancient times in China.

Opium flourished in Europe during the Middle Ages and spread to the New World.

Thomas Jefferson grew opium poppies in his garden at Monticello.

At the beginning of the 18th century, opium was used as a recreational drug in China. The Chinese imperial court banned its use, but large quantities were still trafficked. Due to opium, China went through two wars.

The First Opium War (1839-1842):

The Second Opium War (1856):

Ancient Greek physicians treated the whole plant or used opium extract as a medicine.

Galen listed the medical indications of opium:

"... prevents poisoning and poisoned bites, cures chronic headache, dizziness, deafness, epilepsy, apoplexy (stroke), vision disturbances, loss of voice, asthma, cough of any kind, spitting blood, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, poisoning of flowers, jaundice, formation of stones in the bladder, urinary diseases, fevers, dropsy (edema), leprosy, disorders from which every woman suffers, melancholy and all evils."

In the 16th century, "laudanum" (tincture of morphine) became widespread. In its free form, the alkaloids discovered in opium are less soluble in water than in alcohol. Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (Paracelsus) (1490 – 1541) prepared "laudanum" by extracting opium in brandy, producing a "tincture of morphine".

Until the 19th century, bottles of "laudanum" and unprocessed opium were available in every English pharmacy. Opium was regarded as a medication and not as a drug of abuse.

Morphine was first isolated in 1805 by a German pharmacist.

The use of the hypodermic syringe in the middle of the 19th century allowed for the injection of pure morphine. At that time, it was believed that injected morphine did not cause addiction. In the middle of the 19th century, attitudes changed as the addictive properties became clearer.

Morphine addiction was uncontrollable in the USA after its widespread use for wounded soldiers from both sides of the Civil War.

Dr. Hamilton Wright, the American commissioner for opium, blamed the "Chinese habit" for compromising the country's youth:

"One of the most unfortunate phases of the habit of smoking opium in this country [was] the large number of women who were involved... with the Chinese..."

Scientific research began for another non-addictive alternative to opium and morphine.

In 1874, the English pharmacist C. R. Alder Wright, working at St. Mary's Hospital (Medical School) in London, first synthesized Diacetylmorphine [C17H17NO(C2H3O2)2], by acetylating morphine's alkaloid anhydride with acetic acid.

23 years later, diacetylmorphine was independently resynthesized by another chemist, Felix Hoffmann. Hoffmann, working at Aktiengesellschaft Farbenfabriken (today the pharmaceutical company Bayer) in Elberfeld, Germany, was instructed by his supervisor Heinrich Dreser to acetylate morphine with the objective to produce codeine. Instead, the experiment produced a form of acetylated morphine, 1.5 to 2 times more potent than morphine itself.

From 1898 to 1910, diacetylmorphine was marketed under the name heroin, as a non-addictive substitute for morphine and as a cough suppressant.

In the USA, the Narcotic Tax Act of 1914, placed controls on the sale and distribution of heroin and other opiates, allowing the drug to be recommended and sold for medical purposes.

In 1924, the US Congress banned the sale, importation, or production of heroin. This drug is now in Schedule I of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 by the United Nations, making it illegal for non-medical uses.

GENERAL INFORMATION

In medicine, the term opiate describes a narcotic opioid alkaloid found as a natural product in the opium poppy plant, Papaver somniferum (Papaveraceae family).

Opium is an extract derived from the capsules (fruits) of this type of poppy.

The term opiate is often incorrectly used to describe all drugs with pharmacological action like opium or morphine, which are more clearly classified under the broader term opioids.

Semi-synthetic opioids such as hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone, although derived from opiates, are not themselves opiates.

The main psychoactive opiates are morphine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine, noscapine and approximately 24 other alkaloids are also present in opium, but have little or no effect on the human central nervous system (CNS) and as such are not considered opiates.

Very small amounts of hydrocotarnine and hydromorphone have been discovered in the analysis of opium in rare cases; they appear to be produced by the plant under circumstances and in processes that are not understood at this moment and may involve the action of bacteria.

Dihydrocodeine, oxymorphone, oxycodone, oxymorphone, metopon and other possible derivatives of morphine and/or hydromorphone have also been discovered in trace amounts in opium.

Morphine was first isolated in 1805.

Heroin, extremely "poisonous", is a derivative produced by adding 2 acetyl groups to morphine. It was synthesized for the first time in 1875.

The analgesic opiates include not only drugs derived from the "poppy" of opium and morphine, but also synthetic drugs that have a similar medical action to morphine, such as pethidine, methadone and dextropropoxyphene.

Paregoric (Paregoric), morphine mixed with an alcohol solution, has been used.

Also known is the use of Demerol and Methadone - synthetic opium - a substance produced in laboratories.

OPIATES SEMI-SYNTHETIC SYNTHETIC
Opium Heroin Fentanyl
Morphine Hydrocodone Methadone
Codeine Hydromorphone Tramadol
Oxycodone
Oxymorphone
Buprenorphine

THE PLANT

Afghanistan: the leading cultivator of poppies for opium since 2003 - Produces 93% of the world's supply. Afghanistan is responsible for 74% of the world’s opium production, in 2012.

Burma: the second cultivator, production increasing.

Laos: the cultivation of poppies for opium since 2010 has increased by 127%.

There is an increase in opium production in Burma and the Lao People's Democratic Republic, to meet the rising demand in Asia.

90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Southeast Asia. The European Union (EU) consumes 135 tons of heroin a year. The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy are the largest markets in the EU. 6.1 tons of heroin were confiscated in Europe in 2011 (the smallest amount in the last ten years).

Mexico and Colombia are the largest producers in America, supplying the US market. There is a rapid increase in heroin use in the USA and a decline in Europe.

There is an increasing use of heroin, opium, and synthetic opioids in Asia and Africa.

Revenues are estimated at 12 billion EURO per year.

The level of heroin consumption in the world:

Being depressants of the central nervous system frequent use of these drugs brings tolerance and everyone has the possibility of dependence on them. Among them, heroin is the strongest, most abused, and most dangerous, associated with criminal behavior.

If the drug is prohibited, withdrawal symptoms may appear several weeks after the last use. Fear of these symptom effects can be a motivation to continue using. In regular users, the habit of this drug is often accompanied by a lifestyle that depends on and is determined by this drug.

HEROIN

2-dimensional molecular structure of heroin

3-dimensional molecular structure of heroin

2-dimensional chemical structure of codeine

2-dimensional chemical structure of morphine

HEROIN EXTRACTION

The latex (milk-like fluid) obtained from the poppy capsules for opium (Papaver somniferum L.) is dried. This material (opium) is dispersed in an aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) - Ca(OH)2. The alkalinity is adjusted by adding ammonium chloride - NH4Cl, thus causing a precipitate of basic morphine. The separated morphine is reacted with acetic anhydride - (CH3CO2)2O. The addition of sodium carbonate - NaCO3 leads to the separation of crude base diamorphine. Depending on the region, this substance may be consumed as is, purified, or converted into hydrochloride.

Acetic anhydride - (CH3CO2)2O, a crucial precursor in the production of heroin, is listed in the First List (Catalogue) of the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs (narcotics) and psychotropic substances.

Until the end of the 70s, almost all of the heroin consumed in Europe came from Southeast Asia.

Today, heroin mainly comes from Southwest Asia, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Heroin from Southwest Asia is a brown powder; it is generally in the form of a free base, insoluble in water, but soluble in organic solvents. Heroin from Southeast Asia, less common, is usually a white powder that comes in the form of a hydrated hydrochloride salt, soluble in water, but insoluble in organic solvents.

WAYS OF USE

Heroin from Southwest Asia can be consumed by heating the solid form on a sheet of metal over a small flame and then inhaling the vapor that is released.

To be injected, this form of heroin must first be dissolved (melted), for example with citric acid or ascorbic acid. Heroin from Southeast Asia can be directly injected in solution form. A typical dose is 100 mg with the purity of street-sold heroin.

Swallowing diamorphine/heroin constitutes a much less effective route of consumption.

Heroin is widely used, in Great Britain and Belgium, for the treatment of very strong acute pain, such as that following a heart attack. It is not used by the medical profession in other countries.

Other opiates, such as morphine and methadone, are used as analgesics. Most opiates are classified as drugs of Schedule I of the United Nations Conventions against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

“Mild” opiates like codeine are sometimes included in cough suppressants and anti-diarrheal preparations and are included in Schedule IV of the United Nations Conventions against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

HOW IS ABUSE DETECTED?

OPIATE EFFECTS

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF OPIATES

Strong opiates induce a sense of self-satisfaction and happiness. Pain seems to disappear and the activity of the central nervous system is depressed.

Breathing and heart rate decrease, and the cough reflex is inhibited.

Those who use these drugs for the first time experience dizziness and vomiting.

With higher doses, the chances of losing consciousness increase; sometimes this leads to coma and in rare cases leads to death from respiratory arrest.

In addition to the initial feeling of euphoria, short-term effects of heroin include skin flushing, dry mouth, and heavy limbs. After the initial euphoric feeling, the user experiences an alternating state of being awake and drowsy. Because of the depression of the central nervous system, mental functioning becomes cloudy (blurred).

The short-term effects of heroin abuse appear immediately after taking the drug.

Intravenous injection offers the greatest intensity and the quickest onset of the initial euphoric feeling experienced by users. Intravenous users usually experience the euphoric feeling within 7-8 seconds after injection, while intramuscular injection produces a slower onset of this euphoric feeling, taking 5-8 minutes.

When heroin is snorted through the nose, the peak of the drug's effects is usually felt within 10-15 minutes.

The minimum lethal dose is estimated at 200 mg, but dependent individuals may tolerate up to ten times this dose.

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF OPIATES

Long-term use of opiates leads to constipation, decreased libido, menstrual cycle irregularities, and decreased appetite.

Malnutrition and poor quality of exercise, accompanied by personal neglect, can lead to poor individual health.

Street drugs are often "cut" with other substances such as caffeine, quinine, talcum powder, flour, etc., which can damage blood vessels and block the lungs.

There is a risk of abscesses at the injection site.

Dangerous infections, such as hepatitis, syphilis, and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), can be transmitted through the use of dirty needles that are reused multiple times by the same user, or when exchanged between different users.

Immediate withdrawal from opiates, a few weeks after regular use, leads to a flu-like syndrome, with symptoms starting 6-24 hours after the last dose. Symptoms may include: runny nose and eyes, hot and cold sweats (chills), insomnia, muscle pain, tremors, confusion, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps and abdominal spasms. These effects peak 48-72 hours after stopping the drug and gradually disappear after 7-10 days.

An opiate user may show signs such as apathy, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, loss of appetite and weight loss, loss of interest in previous entertainments and hobbies, disregard for social activities, people around them, and individual obligations.

Users often turn to crime to continue funding their addiction. Signs of intoxication include pupils (eye pupils) fixed in one position and a disoriented appearance that often resembles the behavior of a drunk person.

Opiates dangerously increase the sedative risks of any drug with calming effects on the central nervous system, including barbiturates and alcohol.

In chronic users, vein ruptures, infection of the heart's lining and valves, abscesses, and liver disease can develop.

Also, chronic users may experience pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia.

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF OPIATES LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF OPIATES
“Rush” Dependency
Weak respiration Infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis
Distorted mental functioning Destruction of veins
Nausea and vomiting Abscesses and bacterial infections
Pain relief Infection of the heart's lining and valves
Spontaneous failure Arthritis and other rheumatological problems

PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF HEROIN ON THE BODY

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