How opium is consumed in Golestan?

In Golestan Province, opium is primarily either smoked or ingested. The GCS (Sheikh et al., 2020) evaluated opium consumption on the basis of quartiles of cumulative nokhod-years of consumed opium compared with never consumption of opium (where “never” was defined as not having consumed opium at least once per week for at least 6 months).

What information does the gcsq provide about opium use?

The GCSQ ascertained information on age at starting opium use, daily amount consumed, frequency of use, route of administration (smoking or ingestion), opium type, and age at stopping use (Rahmati et al., 2017; Sheikh et al., 2019). “Ever” use of opium was defined as opium use at least once per week for at least 6 months (Malekzadeh et al., 2013).

Is opium a narcotic?

For more information contact [email protected]. See more... Opium is a highly addictive narcotic drug obtained from the juice (latex) of the unripe seedpod of the poppy plant (Papaver somniferum). The latex requires minimal processing before it can be consumed.

What are the dangers of opium?

Another danger of opium: It may contain lead. It’s not clear how the lead gets into the opium. It may be intentionally added to increase the drug’s weight, it could be due to contamination of the equipment used to process it, or the opium plant may have been grown in soil contaminated by lead.

How much lead is in opium?

Although all these reports originate from Iran, there is huge variation in the reported lead concentrations measured in opium samples, with values ranging from 1.88 ± 0.35 μg/g (Aghaee-Afshar et al., 2008) to 138.10 ± 75.01 μg/g (Aghababaei et al., 2018).

How is opium processed?

The traditional practices of latex processing vary from place to place and may include air-drying, heat-drying, or boiling (DEA, 1992, 2020a; Ray et al., 2006). Chemically, opium is a complex mixture; notably, it contains several alkaloids, including morphine, codeine, noscapine, thebaine, and papaverine.