Like many drugs, opiates and opioids were initially derived from a natural source — the opium poppy plant, a flower native to the Mediterranean that produces a strong narcotic fluid. The juice of the opium poppy was prepared and used as a painkiller and ritual drug throughout early civilizations, and eventually, the plant was grown across Europe and Asia as its effects and uses spread to other cultures. The original opiate drug, called opium, was used recreationally and medicinally worldwide for centuries. While its intoxicating and addictive properties were well known, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the United States began passing regulations that controlled its use and distribution.
The poppy plant and its derivatives were eventually restricted to medical and scientific use in the early 1900s. As doctors, chemists and other researchers honed in on the properties of opium, they isolated and refined the substances that produce a narcotic high. These purified and synthesized versions of opium give us modern opiates and opioids, including drugs like heroin, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin) and fentanyl. While the intended purpose of most of these drugs is for use as medical and prescription painkillers, they continue to be obtained and used recreationally as a result of the powerful high they produce.