The addictive character of opium is related to the binding to the μ-opioid receptors, which will activate dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain and thus, enhance the dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. This mechanism involves the reward activity of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway. 10 Target

The only European commodity that China desired was hard cash in the form of silver. Throughout the second half of the 18th century, therefore, about 90% of Britain’s trade exports to China were bullion. The British government was struggling to raise enough silver to keep this trade going, and the East India Company was becoming concerned about maintaining its profits. Alfred W. McCoy. "Opium History, 1858 to 1940". Archived from the original on 4 April 2007 . Retrieved 4 May 2007. The chief superintendent of trade for the British in China, Capt Charles Elliot, attempted to defuse the standoff. He was able to persuade the traders in Guangzhou to turn over a staggering 1,700 tonnes of opium from the port storehouses by promising that the British government would reimburse them for their losses. Lin disposed of the seized opium, which was hugely valuable, by having it mixed with water and lime in huge pits and then dumping the sludge into the Pearl River. The drugs bust was so large that it took three weeks to destroy it all. Commissioner Lin thought he was doing his honourable duty to stamp out the illegal smuggling of opium that was eating away at his countrymen; but the events that day would lead to a clash of empires and a humiliating defeat for China. Chen P, Braithwaite RA, George C, Hylands PJ, Parkin MC, Smith NW, Kicman AT: The poppy seed defense: a novel solution. Drug Test Anal. 2014 Mar;6(3):194-201. doi: 10.1002/dta.1590. Epub 2013 Dec 12. [ Article] Manuscripts of Pseudo-Apuleius's 5th-century work from the 10th and 11th centuries refer to the use of wild poppy Papaver agreste or Papaver rhoeas (identified as P. silvaticum) instead of P. somniferum for inducing sleep and relieving pain. [27]

See also

One of the most salient aspects of humanity is how, as an intelligent, self-aware species, we actively seek ways to alter our state of mind. We exploit the botanical world not only to feed ourselves, but to intentionally modify the functioning of our brain – to stimulate, to calm or to induce hallucinations. Indeed, enjoying getting out of our own minds is pretty much a universal of human cultures. The pursuit of money and power has found profitable ground in the human desire for altered states, and played a part in shaping human history.

In response, the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914—the first major piece of U.S. legislation to control the sale and use of opiates—was passed. The act passed restrictions on the distribution and sale of heroin and opium, as well as cocaine. Heroin comes from the gum of opium poppies ( Papaver somniferum). These flowers aren't difficult to grow, Wankel said. They thrive in temperate climates and are probably native to the Mediterranean, but they can be grown in subtropical and tropical regions as well. Wong, J. Y. (7 November 2002). Deadly Dreams: Opium and the Arrow War (1856-1860) in China. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-52619-7. Morphine is still the precursor to all other opioids, including prescription narcotic painkillers such as codeine, fentanyl, methadone, hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol) and oxycodone (Percocet or Oxycontin). Medical Uses of Heroina b Chen, Song-Chuan (1 January 2017). Merchants of War and Peace: British Knowledge of China in the Making of the Opium War. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-988-8390-56-4. JSTOR j.ctt1k3s9gv.