Warning, The Threat Of The Opioid Epidemic

(Last Updated On: May 27, 2024)

The epidemic of Opioid Overdose in the U.S.

 

Before we dive into this problem and the consequences, I would like to tell you a bit about the history of opium.

 

The story of the Papaver throughout history

Opium, also called poppy tears, is the dried latex obtained from the Papaver. There is archeological evidence that humans used these seeds for food, anesthetics, and rituals. The finds are from the Mediterranean region and date back to 5000 BCE.

There have been at least 17 finds of Papaver somniferum from Neolithic settlements. They found these settlements in Switzerland, Germany, and Spain.

 

 

They found evidence of the use of the poppy seed In a burial site in the Cueva de Los Murcielagos (Bat Cave) in Spain. The Greek and many more cultures (the Sumerian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Indian, Minoan, Roman, Persian, and Arab Empires) used it regularly.

In those times it was the most potent form of pain relief. The first know poppy farm was in Mesopotamia, approximately 3400 BCE. The Sumerians called the plant Hul Gil, which means joy plant.

Akbar the Great Mogul lived from 1542 to 1605. He was the third and greatest of the Mughal emperors of India. It seems that this emperor had a liking for grapes, melons, and pomegranates. He would eat these fruits when drinking wine or opium. In 1580 he would alternate between arrack or palm wine, with a spiced infusion of opium. During these times, they encouraged the cultivation of poppy.

 

The Emperor Yongzheng

The first recorded edict against opium-smoking was issued in 1720 by the emperor Yongzheng. This emperor seems to have been quite despotic, but his reign was very efficient. He reigned from 1723 to 1735, and this period was peaceful and prosperous. He cracked down on corruption and reformed the financial administration.

 

 

What happens to a camel on drugs

Charles Masson (alias of James Lewis) was born in 1800. He was the first European to appreciate the archeological heritage of Afghanistan. In one of the stories of his travels, he tells about his conductor eating opium. This man would also give opium to his camel who for a while would run quite wild and not always on the path.

 

Opium overdose makes violent

Louis de Grandpre was a French army officer who traveled the Indian Ocean region in 1789-90. He observed that the natives of the peninsula of Malacca (Malaysia) were eating substantial quantities of opium, a substance they really liked. The Government had a group of guards who would patrol the streets during festivals.

Those who had taken an overdose would be prone to committing horrible crimes, often using a poniard (dagger) called Krist or Krick. They carry the Krick in a wooden sheath. It has a blade of half an inch broad and eight inches long, and has a serpentine form. On top of it, the blade was often poisoned. Being attacked, it meant certain death.

On seeing a madman running through the streets and attacking people, the guards would immediately kill him. This is probably where the expression Run Amok stems from.

 

The Opium War from 1839 to 1842

The first opium war was between the United Kingdom and the Qing dynasty of China. There were various reasons for this war, and trade was an important one.

The enormous demand in Europe for silk, porcelain, and tea in the 17th and 18th centuries created a recipe for an imbalance between the 2 countries. Add to this the problem of diplomatic relations and the different views on the administration of justice in China. 

 

 

Opium use in the American Civil War was widespread (1860-1865)

15 Years before the civil war started, they recorded the use of anesthesia. In most cases, it was chloroform or ether which was used during amputations. Some 30.000 amputations were performed during this war, and only 75% of the soldiers survived this kind of surgery.

A doctor might have barely 10 minutes to perform this amputation. Later on, to combat the pain, soldiers would become addicted to opium.

 

 

The opium trick for crying babies

Mrs. Mary Hume-Griffith was the wife of Dr Albert Hume-Griffith, who was a British medical missionary. From 1900 to 1908 they worked and lived in Persia (Iran) and in the Turkish province of Mosul (in present-day northern Iraq). While her husband was working, she would spend a lot of time with the women who lived in the Andarun (women’s quarters). She found out that it was common practice to give crying babies a little of opium to suck on.

 

 

The Hague Convention on drug control

The first global attempt to control the traffic in opium and related drugs like morphine, heroin, and cocaine occurred via the Hague Convention in 1912. 42 nations signed it. The agreement was on drugs, which needed to be imported as they were necessary for medical or scientific purposes. They could not implement the convention as the first World War broke out.

 

 

Happenings in the Dutch East Indies

By the year 1913, the import of opium to the Indonesian archipelago was forbidden. In theory, consumption was not allowed without a special license (these were normally not issued to natives).

Still, there were a few towns in the Dutch East Indies where the smoking of opium was permitted. During that time, there was a powerful movement in Holland to abolish the opium traffic completely. Some argued if opium was not available, then something else would take its place like alcohol or other substitutes.

There was once an incident when 25.000 Chinese coolies who were working in the tin mines in Bangka (an island lying east of Sumatra) went on strike as the Government forbade the importation of opium. Only after the ban was lifted, the work started again.

Bangka Island is linked to a sad story from the second World War.

 

These are just some little tit-bits of the history on poppy. Later on, a method of injecting directly into the veins was invented, and that promoted the development of morphine and other derivatives of opium.

 

Get rid of your pill addiction

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The opioid epidemic

Nowadays we are suffering an opioid epidemic. I think this is the time to define what is an opiate and what is an opioid. According to Casa Palmera, “there are three classifications of opiates…”. Naturally occurring opium and its derivatives including morphine, partially synthetic derivatives of morphine (called opioids) such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone.

Then, finally, the third type, fully synthetic compounds like Fentanyl, Alfentanil, Levorphanol, Meperidine, Methadone, Codeine, and Propoxyphene.

Until modern times, we have witnessed the positive benefits and the negative problems with natural opium and its natural products. However, natural things cannot be patented, and that is where synthetic (fully or partially) opioids come in. Big Pharma can patent synthetic opioids and make a very large profit.

Especially if the natural derivatives of opium are strictly controlled. It appears that a prescription for an opioid can be easily obtained, so synthetic opioids are flooding the streets with devastating results. It is hard to comprehend that over 100 people die each day of opioid overdoses and 40% is from prescribed painkillers? The problem with these painkillers is that they are just as addictive as their natural counterpart.

It is curious that we prescribe methadone (a synthetic opium-mimicking chemical) to help overcome heroin addiction. Both natural opium and synthetic opioids are highly addictive. The industry has as the primary goal to earn money, even if your health goes down the drain.

The statistics do not lie. In 2010, around 25.000 people died from overdoses and the numbers in 2017 were almost double, 47.600 died accidentally from an overdose.

 

The dangers of an overdose

It turns out that in America, one is more likely to die of an opioid overdose than from a car accident. The sad thing is that we can link this to the huge marketing efforts of Big Pharma.

 

 

In the year 2011, the NPR published an article about the addiction of Oxycodone. This is one of the most prescribed opioids in the United States. You might not believe this, but it seems that in Florida, doctors prescribe this drug 10 times more than in the rest of the country.

Over the past 10 years, a West Virginia town which only has a little over 3.000 inhabitants was flooded with an unbelievable  21.000.000 units of this drug. That number means 6.500 pills per resident. I could hardly believe it when I read this. Amazing these poor people are still alive.

 

This is a video from 23 November 2017. It explains what happens to your brain when on opioids.

Another amazing thing is that life expectancy has declined in recent years and that is directly related to a spike in preventable death, like overdoses. One really should ask, how come we get our lives shortened while healthcare is so much better?

This whole thing is not the fault of shady drug dealers, it is the licensed physicians who write these harmful prescriptions to their patients. Here comes more alarming data. From 2008 to 2012, doctors wrote over 80 opioid prescriptions for every 100 Americans. While Big Pharma is filling their pockets, our health is in decline.

Let’s put it this way. Doctors are being brainwashed and bribed by pharmaceutical companies. Recently there was the story of an orthopedic surgeon who received nearly $2.000.000 from companies who manufacture hip and knee replacements. I can imagine this surgeon was operating day and night. Here one also has to ask the question were all these replacements really necessary?

Doctors are not always up to date, so when they are told a drug like OxyContin is safe, they will prescribe it. They do not know there is overwhelming scientific evidence which proves the contrary.

Last month they published a new study in JAMA Network Open. The researchers found that there is a direct link between the marketing of opioid products to the physicians and an increase of prescriptions which result in elevated mortality from overdoses.

Between 2013 and 2015, 1 in 12 doctors received opioid-related marketing. Talking about your family doctor, some 20% received opioid marketing. Just recently, March 2019, a severe case has been discovered. Read it here.

 

 

An Afterthought

Medical healthcare has advanced a lot these last hundred years. Ailments which were impossible to heal in old times can now be healed. Many marvelous new operating procedures have been invented, so actually, all should be OK. Well, it is not OK.

Behind the scenes, they have made many unsavory deals. Big Pharma and the FDA go hand in hand. The FDA has approved and allowed certain medicines to go to market, which have so many side effects that you might just recover from the original ailment to suffer numerous new ones.

Recently, I have come across the following article. It proves that overdose is possible, especially when you have doctors like one of the article. I find this hair-raising, to say the least. Please read this.

 

 

This means you remain a lifelong client of medicine (just what Big Pharma wants). Natural healing methods using what Mother Earth offers us are not allowed, as they cannot patent it. We all would be a lot healthier changing our lifestyle and diet.

Nature offers many plant-derived solutions for pain, lack of sleep, and many more ailments the modern human suffers from. One of them is CBD oil which I have used myself and also gave it to my dog.

I have made a special page for you. It holds a collection of things you might find interesting. Before you leave, have a look at Recommendations.

 

Source: World Library, Wikipedia, Ty Bollinger, his newsletter of January,29,2019

Photo Source: Pixabay

 

Modern medicine has a lot of good things, but you still need to be well informed before consenting to any treatment. Perhaps you are interested to read the following post.

The Danger Of Chemotherapy For Your Brain