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Morphine is extracted and purified from the opium plant(Papaver somniferum)Illicit cultivation of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, has traditionally been an Asian enterprise. More recently, production has spread to the highlands of the tropical regions of the Western Hemisphere, primarily Mexico and Colombia. The worldwide illicit opium harvest in 1995 was estimated at 4,157 metric tons, the majority accounted for by the estimated 2,561 tons produced in Southeast Asia (primarily Myanmar (Burma), with significant crops also in Laos, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia) . Following Southeast Asia is Southwest Asia, primarily Afghanistan (with smaller amounts growing in Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, and India), these two regions accounting for the vast majority of opium destined for conversion to illicit heroin. Colombia was estimated to have produced 65.5 tons of opium in 1996 , while Mexico was estimated to have grown 53 tons in 1995 . Heroin originating from these Western Hemisphere sources is destined almost exclusively for the United States, while Southeast Asian product enjoys worldwide distribution. Heroin of Southwest Asian origin is mostly exported to Europe or consumed locally.
When a person is involved in some sort of physical activity it is possible for them to push them selfs pass there own pain thresh hold, this is because the body can produce a natural compound called the Endorphines. Morphine for some unknown reason fits these Endorphine receptors in the brain and in effect stimulates the same response, this is the explaination for the analgesic properties of the drug. Chemically there is only a slight molecular difference in morphine and heroine and consequently to convert Morphine to Heroin Ethanoic acid is the only reagent needed. Heroin is more addictive due to the fact that it will remain in the the blood stream longer untill the ester bonds have been hydrolysed and converted into Morphine.
By Jason Taylor |
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