Hemp, Opium, and Heroin: A Historical Overview of Psychoactive Substances
Hemp, Opium, and Heroin: A Historical Overview
In Spain, hemp appears around 1150 when Muslims established the first spinning mills and retting facilities, using hemp fiber as raw material, near the town of Xativa. In Christopher Columbus’s boats, tons of hemp were carried in ropes, nets, sails, and other naval equipment. Charles V mandated the use of hemp in the construction of his navy, sourcing it from Tarragona, Lerida, and Balaguer, known for its resistance to saltwater. The importance of cannabis led to the First National Hemp Congress in Valencia in 1927. However, this natural fiber faced great danger due to cheaper imports from other countries. Its use extended to the rest of Europe, mainly during the Industrial Revolution. Cannabis’s problems began with the development of the petrochemical industry and its associated costs.
Cannabis was used by the Hashashin sect, described as followers of Hasan Ibn Sabbah al.Razi, to whom some crimes in Persia were attributed. After the Second World War, the United Nations, through the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, considered tetrahydrocannabinol a psychotropic drug in 1963.
Opium, Morphine, and Heroin: A Brief History
Opium, morphine, and heroin: Asia Minor is considered the cradle of major discoveries regarding the consumption of psychoactive drugs derived from opium.
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is referenced in Babylonian cylinders (considered the first written documents), as well as in images from Cretan culture.
Egypt
Egypt: The poppy plant, called ‘spen,’ was used as an analgesic and tranquilizer. A reference can be found in the Ebers Papyrus, where the priestess Tefnut was cured of a migraine by the god Ra using a tea made with the heads of this plant. Its use spread as a remedy for aches, with children given it for teething pain, either orally or rectally.
China
China: Opium arrived via the Silk Road, making it expensive and exclusive to the upper classes. The Muslim expansion did not make it a popular product.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece: Opium was a symbol of fertility, accompanying Demeter in many representations. Opium was associated with carnal love, prolonging intercourse and preventing premature ejaculation. It was used in all medical schools, and for five centuries, there was no reference to slavery or social disorders related to its use.
Rome
Rome: The opium poppy was considered a symbol of sleep. Philo, the chief physician of Caesar, invented an antidote (white pepper, espinacardo, opium, and honey) that continued to be developed in Europe until a few decades ago and was consumed by the emperor every night.
Arabia
Arabia: In Constantinople, opium was consumed by all social classes, rich and poor, as medicine and food to alleviate their inferiority. It was used as a euthanasia solution by Ibn Sinna, or Avicenna, the father of medicine according to Muslim tradition.
In 1729, the use of opium was forbidden in China, but this had no real effect on the consumer population, leading to the Opium Wars. This resulted in the large IRCAD existing in 1912 to achieve its original purpose. Derosne discovered a narcotic salt in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1814, Saturn was synthesized from morphine, which was first developed for these uses, but it wasn’t until the Civil War that large amounts of morphine were administered to soldiers via hypodermic syringe.
In St. Mary’s Hospital in London, another derivative of opium, heroin, was synthesized. It was used as a detoxification treatment for morphine addicts and was first considered an illegal substance in 1909.