Opium: A History

Known to mankind since before the time of Christ, opium is probably the oldest and most widely used narcotic drug. Its dual properties - both as a painkiller and as a derivative, heroin - have lent it an ambiguity. On the one hand, its deadly addictive properties have given birth to the heroin industry which grows from strength to strength; despite the efforts of governments and law enforcers to crack down on it, the addict population is rising. On the other hand, production of the opium poppy is a vital income for peasant farmers in Third World countries. This work offers a history of the drug, examining its multi-faceted nature, spanning both countries and continents. It explores the drug's cultivation, spread, usages and influences.