The God of Dreams

Classically, that is, if you were to ask a dictionary, the definition of narcotics are quite simple: any pain relieving and sleep inducing substance – opiates.  Technically opiates have a large tree of descent (everything from morphine and heroin to synthetic opiates like tramadol and naloxone), but the term narcotic is originally reserved for opiates.  These opiates work by binding to the opiate receptors within the human brain, causing pain relief and a sense of euphoria

Opium has been harvested for quite a long time, dating back as early as 1200 BC(E).  Opium is a by-product of the poppy plant, specifically the Papaver Somniferum, a plant native to Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and parts of Central America.  As long as the poppy plant has been cultivated, its effects have been equally used medicinally and exploited for enjoyment.  If at all a definitive starting point, the third century BC(E) provides documented detail of the poppy plant and its wondrous effects.  Since then, opium has brought sufferers relief and societies chaos.  One of the more prominent problems it brings to a nation is addiction.  This is the case with China, Great Brittan, and the US.  Because of its tendency to make the user feel very relaxed and comfortable, taken in grand enough quantities, the user loses all urges except enjoy themselves.  Furthermore, if addiction is widespread enough, it may cause economic dependence on foreign imports and in turn destabilize a nation’s economy.

Its not exceedingly difficult to see why an individual would become highly addicted to opiates.  The effects of opiates a enormously enjoyable.  I say this not just from having read accounts of it, but from also having been given morphine, demerol, oxycodone, and hydrocodone while suffering from meningitis.  After receiving only medicinal amounts of the substances for week (alternating between morphine and demerol), I had already begun to have a faint “craving” sensation, even without having withdraws.  The relief the drugs had brought me took me from agonizing pain to inexplicable euphoria, despite my medical condition.  If someone were allowed to self medicate with a large supply of opiates, its no wonder it would be hard to resist: opiates are VERY pleasurable.  Aside from that, it doesn’t take much time to build a tolerance or a craving for them.  Its not difficult to see how this can lend itself to be habit forming quite rapidly.  Considering how easy it is for one to get their hands on opiates these days (many are pharmaceutical), its not surprising that opiate addiction is making a comeback.

McKenna (in his book, Food of the Gods) presents an interesting comparison between tobacco and opiates: although tobacco has been shown to be more physically dangerous, opiates are seen as the scourge of society.  I can see his point being quite valid from the medical standpoint, but it seems to be out of context (to a degree) of the psycho-social context.  Just because a substance isn’t as physically bad for you doesn’t mean its less socially dangerous.  The effects brought about by opium usage are considerably more “active” than those of tobacco.  One isn’t impaired in the least while smoking tobacco, although under the effects of a narcotic, by comparison, one is.

For recreational useage, I agree with McKenna: opiates should be viewed as less harmful than tobacco.  But in a nation engulfed with commerce and workplaces, opiate addictions are considerably more damaging than those of tobacco.

For once, I think I just argued that tobacco isn’t as bad as opiates…  strange feeling, but I accept that my yield is in a specific context.

-M.