“Opiates” is the name of a family of drugs with substances that can be extracted from Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). The opium poppy is a one year plant originally growing in Asia Minor. It has white, pink or purple colored petals and can be about 0.4 – 1 meters. Opium has been known and used by mankind for at least 5 000 years. It has been long known for its analgesic effect and has also been used to stop diarrhea.

Opium, Morphine, Heroin and Codeine are natural opiates, produced by the Opium Poppy. But the pharmaceutical industry has developed synthetic variants of the opiates chemical structure with similar effects (called opioids). Some of these are Methadone and Fentanyl.

Opium

By Cutting on the poppy’s pods, a whitish milk will will appear. Dried milk will then produce a brown resin – raw opium. Raw opium contains different chemical structures – alkaloids – such as morphine and codeine. As mentioned above, opium has been used for its medical properties, such as its calming effect and to help people sleep. Its also known to calm the intestines movements. All though used as a drug for a long time, the big breakthrough came when Europeans began to smoke it as stimulant in the 1500s. It later spread to China, where it got a big boost as a drug.

Opium, also called “Shire”, is as mentioned brown resin like when dried, but it can also be be more of a dark brown shiny mass. It is usually smoked, but can also be swallowed or drunk if prepared.

Effects

Opium can generally give a feeling of well being and put the user in some sort of dreamlike state. The effects duration may vary and is not fully known.

Morphine

Morphine is most known as a medicine. It was in the early 1800s man succeeded in isolating and concentrate morphine and other alkaloids in opium. As for the alkaloid Morphine, it has a big concentration of about 10 percent. For medical purposes it’s mainly used as pain killer. But because it is highly addictive it has been an drug at least from the 1850s, when the syringe became a tool in medicine.

Morphine normally appears as a inject-able liquid. But it is also available as a swallowed pill and as a powder.

Effects

Like opium, Moprhine gives the user a a sense of well being, kills pain killer and helps to sleep. If injected, the effect will kick in after a few minutes and last for a few hours.

Heroin

Heroin is half synthetic opiate. The dried milk from the Opium poppy’s pods are dried, creating the natural opiate opium The alkaloid in Opium – Morphine – is then refined through various chemical processes, creating Heroin – a kind of quick and powerful Morphine. This was first done in 1874 and was soon sold commercially as a pain reliever and cough suppression medicine. Heroin is highly addictive.

Heroin, also known as “horse”, “Smack”, “Brown sugar”, appears in two different types. A heroin base and Heroin hydrochloride. Both types usually appears as a powder. The base is brown and the hydrochloride is white. The base is not soul-able with water (but with acids) and is therefore better suited for smoking (or inhaling vapors). The hydrochloride is sol-able with water and then usually injected. Heroin hydrochloride can also be smoked, with lower with tobacco. Heroin can also be snorted through the nose.

Effects

Heroin may give one or more of the described effects:

• Strong feelings of well-being

• Heavy eyelids

• Low, slow voice with slow breathing

• Resistant to pain

• Slow reflexes

• Pale and cold skin

• Itching face

If injected, the effects will kick in after a few seconds. If smoked or snorted the effect will slowly kick in after about 10-20 minutes. The effect will last for about 3-6 hours. Because the high addiction, an addict will have heavy abstinence, often with both physical and mental symptoms.

Methadone

Unlike the drugs mentioned above Methadone is a completely synthetic product. It was created at World War II by German chemists because of shortage of Morphine. In modern time, Methadone is mainly used as pain relief for patients with deadly diseases and used as a treatment for heroin addicts.

Methadone appears as pills or liquid. At hospitals it it usually injected, while legal use, usually is perscripted swallowed pills.

Effects

The effects are similar to Morphine, but lasts longer and giver a lighter or no kick. It is therefore not a popular drug. When abuse takes for its soothing and pain-relieving effects. If swallowed, the effect will kick in after about 30 – 60 last for about 6-8. The effect may last longer on regular use.

Subutex

Subutex is, like Methadone a synthetic drug. It is produced to be a substitute drug, containing buprenorphine. It is mainly used to threat heroin addiction. Subutex is basically designed to give the heroin addict the needed dose to avoid abstinence, but doing it without any effect. By doing this, the addict will have the daily doses needed and will slowly lower the doses of Subutex.

Subutex comes as a pill that is to be slowly melted under the tongue. However, the pill is also sold on the black market, since crushing it and dissolving it with water will make it possible to inject (or swallow of snort), will give effects..

Effects

Subutex usually have no effects, but by crushing the pill, adding water and injecting it it give a heroin like effect (see above).

Suboxone

Since the use of Subutex as a drug is possible, Suboxone was created, with different mixture, giving it no effect when injected. No known way of using it as a drug is officially known.

Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate produced in Belgium in the late 1950s for medical uses. During the 1970s different underground variants of Fentanyl was created in the U.S. Many of them were to be used in extremely small doses, leading to a wave of deadly overdoses.

Fentanyl, also known as “China White”, is a white powder that can be injected, swallowed, snorted or smoked (preferably diluted).

Effects

The effects or Fentanyl is similar to after heroin intake. The effect will kick in after about 10 – 20 minutes and last for about 30 – 60 minutes.

Learn more about drugs

• Cannabis – Marijuana, Hashish, Hash oil

• Central Depressive Drugs – Benzodiazepines, GHB

• Central Stimulants – Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Khat

• Hallucinogenic Drugs – LSD, Ecstasy, Phenethylamines, Magic Mushrooms, Peyote Cactus

• Inhaled Drugs – Butane Gas, Poppers

• PCP and Ketamine – Fencyklidin, Ketamine

• How to see signs of drug addiction