What is the chemical structure of opium?

Answer 1

Opium itself is not a single drug or chemical, and does not have its own distinct chemical structure. Instead, opium is a "cocktail" of different drugs (opiate alkaloids) which all occur in the plant's resin naturally. There are many different active substances (alkaloids) found in the resin (opium latex). The main psychoactives are morphine, codeine, and thebaine, however, there are many others. Each one of these opiate alkaloids has its own unique chemical structure and properties. Each one also acts independently on the central nervous system (CNS) when opium is ingested, but they all produce (somewhat) similar effects which compliment each other.

So basically, opium is just a mixture (or "cocktail") of several different drugs known as opiate alkaloids. They are all found in the opium poppy's natural "latex" or "resin". This resin is eaten, smoked, made into tea, or chemically processed to separate each alkaloid for drug production (whether legally for pharmaceutical purposes, or illegally for illicit drug manufacture).

You should research the different chemical structures of all of opium's different alkaloids. The main alkaloids of interest are, again, Morphine, Codeine, and Thebaine. However, there are many other alkaloids, but the effects of these may be much less, different, or inert (inactive). I hope that I have given you (and others) a better understanding of opium's nature.

Just remember that opium is NOT one drug or substance. It is simply a latex (or resin) from the plant's seed pods that contains several drugs.