Law_Equivalent t1_izv24ws wrote on December 12, 2022 at 1:35 AM

Reply to comment by War_Hymn in The Japanese cigarette brand weaponised against Chinese smokers in wartime by zhumao

From this peer reviewed article it says

"The effects of opium are essentially those of morphine but unexpected toxicities, suck as oesophageal cancer associated with “dross opium” and polyneuropathy due to deliberate addition of arsenic, are problems in some specific regions"

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1997.tb03197.x

If the effects are the same between two different substances but one has more risks than the other the one with more risks is the harder substance, Therefore opium is harder than "morphine ".

Both dextroamphetamine(an ingredient in Adderall) and meth have the same exact effects but meth is known as a harder drug because of the risks of using it.

Don't believe me?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3475187/ Concordant with the literature obtained with laboratory animals, direct comparisons of the effects of oral methamphetamine and d-amphetamine in HUMANS indicate the drugs produce overlapping effects on measures of cardiovascular activity, mood, and drug discrimination 14,1516 Finally, data from studies comparing the two amphetamines on measures believed to be predictive of abuse potential (i.e., drug discrimination and self-administration) indicate that equivalent doses of the drugs produced similar responses, further indicating that the drugs are equipotent 11,12,13 Recreational methamphetamine use is purportedly used in larger doses via routes of administration that produce a more rapid onset of effects (e.g., intranasal, intravenous, and smoked: [17]). The onset speed of drug-related effects is a critical determinant of the intensity of mood and behavioral effects of a drug 18,19. Thus, it is possible that potential differences between methamphetamine and d-amphetamine may only be detected following a route of administration associated with a faster onset of effects

War_Hymn t1_izw3nsj wrote on December 12, 2022 at 7:22 AM

>If the effects are the same between two different substances but one has more risks than the other the one with more risks is the harder substance, Therefore opium is harder than "morphine ".

I'm sorry friend, but I assumed it was obvious that I was pointing to the narcotic effects when I suggested morphine/heroine to be "harder" substances. I didn't think most people would think I was talking mainly or solely about chronic health effects of said drugs when I use the adjective term.

On a side note, if you're some sort of avid heroin/morphine/drug enthusiast or proponent that I somehow offended with my academic take on the historic opiate trade, then you should know that I don't have any personal "experience" with the narcotic substances that we are discussing here. I don't smoke tobacco, used marijuana maybe a few times in college, and barely drink as it is. My interests in the discussed drugs are purely academic, and I didn't post my comment with the intention of pushing any sort anti-drug "heroin or morphine is evil" agenda. All I know is refined morphine has more morphine than raw opium / cocaine has way more cocaine chloride than coca leaves. How they affect people when partake, I have to take such info from others.

PS: Now that I think about it, I did get some IV morphine during a surgery and recovery in my young teens. It was pretty good stuff, and helped take the pain off my collapsed lung and broken ribs.