How Does Poppy Affect The Body

Purple, red and pink are the colors that describe the infamous Poppy Plant growing among acres and acres of Afghan soil. As the wind sway the fields back and forth, laying beyond such a beautiful scene are some of the main reasons these fields would be harvested of the very popular substance ripening on the inside of these plants, opium. The Poppy is an annual herb native to Southeastern Europe and Western Asia. Poppy is cultivated in many other countries including Iran, Turkey, Holland, Poland, Romania, India, Canada, and many other central and south American countries. (Simon, J.E., 1984)
The Poppy plant can be grown inside but the outside environment is most favorable because it exposes the plant to the rich, moist soil and tends to be
(Simon, J.E., 1984)Even though poppy is still considered to be one of the most important medicinal plants it does has its dangerous effects on the body when misused and abused just like any other addictive drug. Short term effects of opium use are mostly related to the euphoric feelings that come from smoking the drug, which includes felling sleepy, drowsy, or relaxation. Similar to the feelings that come from drinking alcohol. Other short term effects include prolonged use can lead to tolerance and addiction, can cause dry mouth and dehydration in where symptoms will persist until the opium wears off, and the weakening of mental capacity and function. (Short Term Effects, 2016) Opium and the drugs derived from opium are addictive and can have long-term toxicological effects (Simon, J.E., 1984) Long term effect
Today there are close to one-million Afghan opium users with its population ranging from ages 15-64. (Motlagh, J., 2011) With hundreds of thousands of users in the United States Afghan still has the highest rate of users with it being 75% higher than the U.S. (Associated Press, 2009)
As addicted afghan women blow smoke into the faces of their babies, this is the only medicinal resource to help them when their babies are sick or can’t sleep. An afghan male, member of the family says he spends more on his addiction than he can make or afford and is the very reason he is living in poverty. He expresses that the only hope he has now lays within his grandchildren who he believes is not addicted. (Associated Press, 2009) This describes a scene from a documentary video of a family who has become addicted to drugs. In another video a group of males congregate around in a circle to drink opium. The opium is dropped in a pot of water and brought to a boil before consumption. The men then pour the drink from a tea pot into their hands and partake until the drink is gone. What is even more disturbing, is that included in this circle sit down are the young sons of some of the men. As young as five years old, the young boy leans forward to partake in the drink from his father’s palm and then shying away with a grin on his face as he leans back. Even though