What is the scientific name of an opium poppy plant?
Papaver Somniferum
How is opium made?
Latex is taken from the seed capsules of the opium poppy and dried.
When is the seed pod scraped to allow the latex to seep out?
before reaching maturity
Have the production methods of opium become more advanced with technology?
No, the methods have stayed the same since ancient times
How long has opium been harvested?
Since approximately 5000 BCE
Where does the most prominent supply of opium originate from?
The upper Asian belt of Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, and Burma.
What is laudanum?
A "tincture of opium" containing a solution of opium in ethanol
When did opium transition from medicinal to recreational use?
It is believed that in the 11th to 13th centuries opium was brought home by soldiers returning from the Crusades and became recreationally used.
What is the International Opium Commission?
One of the first steps towards international drug prohibition
When was morphine first isolated from the opium poppy?
1804, by Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Sertürner
