Contained within the seedpod of the opium poppy is a gummy sap that is harvested and processed for use by millions of drug addicts. Opium, whether smoked, eaten, or injected, imparts a dreamy sense of relaxation and relief from pain.

The book explores the discovery of morphine and its alkaloids, reviews its biosynthetic process, and covers the evolution of synthetic opioids.

Covering a period of about four centuries, this book demonstrates the economic and political components of the opium problem.

The story begins with the discovery of poppy artifacts in ancient Mesopotamia, and goes on to explore how Greek physicians and obscure chemists discovered opium's effects and refined its power, how colonial empires marketed it around the ...

Hearing was held in NYC.

Starting with a concise account of opium's long and colorful history and the story of how it came to be smoked for pleasure in China, Lee offers detailed descriptions of the growing and harvesting process; the exotic inventory of tools and ...

" Ms. Kienholz shows how vicious competition in the trade moved players like chess pieces, with winners and losers shifting positions. Her research into the production of the new "opioids" such as oxycodone is an area not previously probed.

This is a fact so patent that it forces itself upon the attention of every intelligent resident in China who has given ordinary attention to the subject.Ê