Text File | 1992-01-24 | 680 b | 5 lines | [04] ASCII Text (0x0000)
Opium is a narcotic analgesic prepared from the juice of the unripe seeds of the opium poppy. It contains codeine and morphine and is used to relieve pain and induce sleep.
Once as common as aspirin, opium was initially used for medicinal purposes as many as 5000 years ago. In moderate doses it reduces pain and suffering and produces a feeling of exhilaration, but may also cause nausea and vomiting. In high doses it can be very dangerous and even fatal.
If taken in sufficiently high doses over a period of time, the body becomes used to it, or tolerant of its effects, and the body requires more of the drug in order to achieve the same euphoric sensations as before.
