opium
Morphine's botanical source
Opium is a narcotic drug derived from the dried latex of opium poppy seedpods.
It contains morphine, codeine, and other alkaloids that produce sedation, euphoria, and pain relief.
Historically significant in trade and warfare—the Opium Wars between Britain and China—opium was once widely used medicinally before addiction concerns led to strict controls.
The opium dens of 19th-century San Francisco.
Figuratively, something that dulls awareness or pacifies: Marx called religion the opium of the people.
Hollow conveyance channel
- smokingInhaling burning tobacco
- chasing the dragonInhaling vaporized heroin
- hashishConcentrated cannabis preparation
- laudanumOpium dissolved in alcohol
tincture · paraphernalia · lamp · needle · hookah
Medication reducing discomfort
- reliefEasing of distress
- palliativeOffering relief, not remedy
- anodyneRelieves pain or offense
- soothingReducing distress or discomfort
numbing · sedation · laudanum · tincture · therapeutic · analgesia · dosage · potency
Opium dissolved in alcohol
- ColeridgeEnglish Romantic verse-maker
- VictorianOf a prim era
- apothecaryHistorical medicine preparer
- patent medicineTrademarked unproven remedy
paregoric · Chinese · British Empire · 19th century · literary · colonial
Plant's reproductive casing
- latexMilky plant-derived polymer
- harvestGathering mature crops
- cultivationFostering growth through care
- resinViscous plant secretion
sap · scoring · capsule · petals · bloom · stigma · straw · garden
Opium-derived painkiller
- extractionAct of removing
- derivativeFunction's rate of change
- compoundCombined into one
- chemistryStudy of substances' interactions
Perfect, serene felicity
- dreaminessVague, unfocused mental state
- stuporSuspended sensibility
- intoxicationSubstance-induced mental impairment
- hazeMurky atmospheric suspension
reverie · torpor · drowsiness · sedation · pleasure · serenity · tranquility · rapture
Illegal covert transport
- contrabandProhibited trade goods
- traffickingIllegal transport for profit
- cartelPrice-fixing coalition
- blackmarketIllicit commerce system
interdiction · prohibition · Canton · clipper · merchant · East India Company · Golden Triangle · narcotics
State of needing another
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- cravingPowerful urge to have
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
- habituationDiminished reaction over time
overdose · relapse · recovery · detoxification · rehabilitation · abstinence · methadone · intervention
pipe
Hollow conveyance channel
- smokingInhaling burning tobacco
- chasing the dragonInhaling vaporized heroin
- hashishConcentrated cannabis preparation
laudanum · tincture · paraphernalia · lamp · needle · hookah
painkiller
Medication reducing discomfort
- reliefEasing of distress
- palliativeOffering relief, not remedy
- anodyneRelieves pain or offense
soothing · numbing · sedation · laudanum · tincture · therapeutic · analgesia · dosage · potency · medicinal
laudanum
Opium dissolved in alcohol
- ColeridgeEnglish Romantic verse-maker
- VictorianOf a prim era
- apothecaryHistorical medicine preparer
patent medicine · paregoric · Chinese · British Empire · 19th century · literary · colonial
seedpod
Plant's reproductive casing
- latexMilky plant-derived polymer
- harvestGathering mature crops
- cultivationFostering growth through care
resin · sap · scoring · capsule · petals · bloom · stigma · straw · garden · ornamental
codeine
Opium-derived painkiller
- extractionAct of removing
- derivativeFunction's rate of change
- compoundCombined into one
bliss
Perfect, serene felicity
- dreaminessVague, unfocused mental state
- stuporSuspended sensibility
- intoxicationSubstance-induced mental impairment
haze · reverie · torpor · drowsiness · sedation · pleasure · serenity · tranquility · rapture · pipe dream
smuggling
Illegal covert transport
- contrabandProhibited trade goods
- traffickingIllegal transport for profit
- cartelPrice-fixing coalition
blackmarket · interdiction · prohibition · Canton · clipper · merchant · East India Company · Golden Triangle · narcotics · enforcement
dependence
State of needing another
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- cravingPowerful urge to have
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
habituation · overdose · relapse · recovery · detoxification · rehabilitation · abstinence · methadone · intervention · enabler
- Victorianaseances, Dickens, spiritualism, Sherlock Holmes, phrenology
- 1800s AsiaQing dynasty, Boxer Rebellion, British Raj, Emperor Meiji, Tokugawa Shogunate
- Asian ColonialismBritish Raj, British India, Dutch East Indies, French Indochina, East India Company
- British IndiaBritish Raj, East India Company, viceroy, Raj, governor-general
- Mind-Altering Substancescocaine, heroin, LSD, MDMA, cannabis
- Neuroactive Drugsdopamine, serotonin, GABA, acetylcholine, norepinephrine
opiumstimulant
Alertness-boosting drug
amphetamine · methamphetamine · cocaine · speed · uppers
opiumfentanyl
Synthetic pain-blocking compound
synthetic opioid · oxycodone · methadone · hydrocodone · carfentanil
opiumsobriety
Unimpaired mental state
clarity · lucidity · alertness · wakefulness · clear-headedness
- opioid crisisMass addiction emergency
- opioid epidemicMass addiction to painkillers
- opium densEstablishments for narcotic consumption
- opiate addictionChronic reliance on opioids
- opium poppyPlant yielding raw narcotics
- opium poppiesPlants yielding powerful analgesics