How Many More Mike Browns Are Out There?

The Poppy plant, from the family papaveracae, is one of over 200 species and has a rich history throughout the history of man, spanning many cultures. Records of poppy cultivation go back to 5000BC to the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. This was, reputedly, the scene of the Garden of Eden, and several important ancient civilizations. Poppies are a very hardy plant, thriving in almost any environment. Some species colonize hostile regions, as seeds will germinate in loose, moist soil, sand or even crumbling mortar. Poppies, which grew profusely in the battlefields of Flanders during World War 1, were mentioned in the poem, "In Flanders Fields" (1915) by Lt. Col. John McCrae of the Canadian Medical Corps. This poem allegedly provided the inspiration for the poppy to become the emblem of remembrance for soldiers who died in battle. These Remembrance days in which poppies are displayed are held in many countries; America has Veteran's Day, France has Armistice Day and Britain has Remembrance Day which is held annually on 11th November.

Generally speaking, poppy plants come in many varieties and manifest themselves in an assortment of colors. Native to Britain is the scarlet field poppy (P. Rhoeas), which gives bright splashes of color in summer cornfields. Other colors have been bred to produce apricot, white, pink, burgundy and plum, as well as variegated, in single and double varieties. Many other countries have also produced different varieties, resulting in the availability of numerous different sizes, shapes and colors. Native and cultivated poppies, with their tiers of tissue-fine petals, look spectacular in herbaceous borders and these annuals will easily take over the garden if allowed to seed each year.

The opium poppy (P. Somniferum), our focal species of plant, is indigenous to Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan and has also given rise to more exotic and ornamental flowers, such as the dark purple "Peony Flowered" poppy with its frilled petals. P. Somniferum is, perhaps, the most important species of poppy, as it is this herb that is the source of the drug, opium, and of poppy oil. The plant has lobed leaves, milky sap and four to six-petaled flowers with several stamens surrounding the ovary. The two sepals drop off when the petals unfold. The ovary then develops into a short, many seeded capsule that opens in dry weather. The small seeds of the opium poppy plant are dispersed by wind. The plant has five inch purple or white flowers on plants three to sixteen feet tall. It is and annual plant which needs to be planted only once for several years of harvest. There are many varieties of poppy plants grown other then the opium poppy, mostly for seasonings, oil, birdseed and attractive flowers. All parts of the plant, particularly the capsule, contain white latex that yields opium.

Unripe poppy heads are used for this purpose. Incisions are made in the walls and the juice collected and dried. The seeds of the opium poppy are free from opium and can be sprinkled on cakes and bread. They are also added to birdseed. In addition the seeds yield pale yellow oil that can be used for various technical purposes, including its use by artists as a drying oil. The poppy flower has been the inspiration for many artists and one of the most famous paintings is Claude Monet's "Poppy Fields at Argenteuil" (1873).

The opium poppy has been used in medicinal application throughout ancient times even

until today. The poppy plants produce natural opiates, the drug derived from the opium poppy

and found in the milky substance extracted from the unripe seeds. Opiates are the best known form of narcotics. There are twenty different alkaloids derived from the opiates. Codeine and Morphine are the ones that are still in widespread legal use today. Codeine is a milder form can be described as a weaker relative of morphine. Both serve an important function in pain treatment.

Obtaining opium from Papaver somniferum is simple, leading to large scale illegal production. It is a very common plant which is easily purchased. The seeds can be planted and little care is needed to grow healthy ones. When the flowers turn to seed, the seed pods are slightly incised and a white milky liquid is dispersed. The liquid is allowed to seep out and dry for a few hours. The white liquid will turn to black when it is exposed to air and is scraped out of the pod. This is the raw product used to make opiates. After the opium is extracted it is purified to opium alkaloids. There are manufactured alkaloid derivatives that include dihydromorphine, dihydrocodeine, and heroin. The alkaloids are categorized into two types: one which acts on the nervous system and is addictive to the human body, and the other non-addictive form used as a muscle relaxer.

Since Greek times, opium has been extracted from poppies in order to relieve suffering and induce feelings of ecstasy. Records indicate that the opium poppy has been used since the time of Mesopotamia (5000 to 4000 BC). These records refer to papaver Somniferum and its use as opiates as medical tablets, the historical predecessor to pill form. "Homer's writings indicate Greek usage of the substance at least by 90OBC: Hippocrates made extensive use of medicinal herbs including opium" (Britannica Online). It is believed that the Romans probably learned of opium in the Mediterranean. Opium spread to places all over the world. In China opium was reported as a problem during the seventeenth century even leading to a series of Opium Wars between Britain and itself. Between World War I and II, the cultivation of opium grew with its popularity in Central America in the mountains. Today, the major producers and exporters of opium are Turkey and India.

Opium has definitely been used in more recent times as well. Before the nineteenth century, there were few alternatives to using opiates to end suffering for dying people. Long ago opium was not considered harmful and was available to everyone. Doctors advised taking opiates to relieve a number of symptoms including diarrhea, cough and pain. In North India it is used as a traditional offering to guests in the form of opium water.

Opium has the appearance of dark brown chunks called cakes or bricks or as a powder form. People take opium in a number of different ways. At first, opium was taken orally. Smoking opium did not begin until after the discovery of the Americas. Injection of opiates became popular in the mid nineteenth century. The effects were found to be much greater than if it was taken orally. Other opiate analgesics appear in a variety of forms including capsules, tablets, syrups, elixirs, solutions, and suppositories. It can also be snorted.

Opium