The Beginnings of Narcotic Use in the United States - Abstract
Opium is derived from the poppy, and its principal active ingredient is morphine. For more than 4000 years, it was highly praised as a folk medicine and euphoric. As its value in the medical community increased, commercial opium trade spread across Europe from 1640 to 1773; it became extremely popular during this time. It was transformed from a luxury drug to a commodity for mass consumption, and narcotics became integral to the economies and lifestyles of both Asian and Atlantic nations.