Opium

Opium is a narcotic drug developed from the seed capsule of the poppy flower. It is usually seen as a brown, tar-like substance or paste, which can be smoked, or it is further purified into heroin and other opiates. Opium has been in use for many centuries for pleasure and for treatment of pain or anxiety. Its main ingredients are morphine and codeine, which were isolated and marketed as painkillers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The use of raw opium has been in decline since the 18th and 19th centuries, as heroin and synthetic opiate drugs have grown in popularity, but opium smoking can still be found among select groups. Raw opium is not as strong as heroin, but still retains the addictive qualities of the other opiates, making it no less dangerous to use.