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3400 BCE
First Opium Growth
The opium poppy was first grown and harvested in Mesopotamia. Then, it was passed between various cultures. -
400 BCE
Hippocrates' Praise
Hippocrates, also known as the "father of medicine," praised opioids as useful for treating diseases and epidemics from 460-357 BCE. -
330 BCE
Alexander the Great Spreads Opium
Alexander the Great introduced the opium plant to Arabs, Greeks, and Romans for use as a sedative. -
250
Opioids For Pain Relief
Hua Tuo, a Chinese surgeon used a mixture of cannabis and opium for patients to swallow before a painful surgery from 220-264 CE. -
Jan 1, 1527
Laudanum
A Swiss-German alchemist, Paracelsus, developed a type of opium that was able to reduce pain more than previous types. He called it laudanum and it is still available as a prescription today. -
Morphine
Morphine was developed by a German alchemist, Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Serturner. Throughout the 19th century morphine was used as a pain killer and became even more popular during the American Civil War. -
Hypodermic Needle Invented
The hypodermic needle led to further use of opioids for pain relief. Many realized that morphine was highly addictive and being abused, so a new, alternative pain reliever was sought. -
Heroin
Heroin is created as an alternative to morphine and called "non-addictive." -
Beginning of the War on Drugs
The United States Congress passed the Opium Exclusion Act. The act banned the imports of opioids for the purpose of smoking. -
Heroin Act
Heroin production, importation, and possession is made illegal in the United States. -
Oxycodone Made Available
Oxycodone was approved by the FDA, which continues to be abused by millions. -
Controlled Substance Act
The Controlled Substance Act regulated prescription narcotics/opioids into five schedules based on harmfulness, usefulness, and abuse potential. -
Prescription Painkillers Become More Popular
Throughout the 1990s development and marketing of prescription opioids became more significant than ever. The market for morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, and hydromorphone was in a higher demand than ever as doctors prescribed these medications too often. -
Addiction on the Rise
4,000,000 people (2% of the population) 12 and older in the U.S. were using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. -
The Fight Continues
The United States continues to fight the war on drugs. In 2013, the FDA issued guidelines to drug manufactures providing methods to deter drug abuse. These include: physical barriers that prevent common methods of drug abuse, chemicals that eliminate the high prescription opioids create, an unpleasant effect that occurs when the drug is taken incorrectly, and a different way of taking the drug such as through implants.
