Abstract
This paper discusses that many physicians considered opium to be perhaps the best natural pain reliever ever discovered. The paper states that Australia and France are sanctioned by the United Nations to grow opium poppies legally for the production and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. The author believes by employing new methods of biosynthesis to produce genetically altered plants, researchers hope to grow morphine-free opium poppies, ensuring a stable supply of codeine. This paper is complete with pictures and graphs of the chemical structure.

From the Paper
"Papaver somniferum has been used medicinally for centuries for its ability to produce a number of opiates that act as analgesics. The earliest recorded history of opium cultivation is approximately 3400 B.C., in lower Mesopotamia. The tradition of opium cultivation for medicinal purposes was carried on from the Sumerians, to the Assyrians, to the Babylonians, to the Egyptians, and so on to present day. Cultural references to the use of the opium poppy can be found in literary and medical texts, for instance the use of opium can be found in Homer's Iliad (850 B.C.) and with in the Hippocratic Corpus (460 B.C.)".

Tags:drugs, pain, reliever, legal, grow, production, pharmaceuticals, biosynthesis, codeine, cough, morphine

Abstract
This paper explains that, recently in the U.S., the use of prescription drugs for non-medical purpose are becoming a problem; the most common prescription drugs being abused are opioids, commonly prescribed for pain relief, including morphine, codeine, oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and meperidine (Demerol). The author points out that while the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States is marijuana; cocaine and crack are still rather predominant in American society, although there is an emerging drug called methamphetamine. The paper states that, although society is constantly told that "The War on Drugs" is working, statistics disprove this scenario.

From the Paper
"Substance abuse is defined as excessive use of a drug and/or use of a drug without medical justification; for this reason substance abuse is illegal in the United States (Webster's Dictionary). It is not legal to over use any drug whether it is prescribed to you or not. The over use of drugs in the human body is highly detrimental to a persons mental and physical health. Over drug use can also impair ones judgment skills and can make them act as though they would not in a normal state. Because the American society strives to keep all of its citizens safe and healthy it is important for all social and prescribed drugs to be used within their restrictions."

Tags:overuse, prescription, war, opiods, methamphetamine

Abstract
This paper attempts to persuade the user that the drawbacks of the marijuana-use experience are similar to those of other drugs, namely codeine, but that its benefits far outweigh its alleged addictiveness. The author reviews the current state of medical marijuana research and the legal and social implications of prescribing marijuana. The paper persuades the reader that marijuana is a useful substance in the medical sense and that the fears of drug-enforcement officials that this constitutes a move toward 'legalization' are unfounded.