Opium Dependence Research Articles

Does Opium Dependency Affect the Pattern of Involvement in Laryngeal Cancer?

Laryngeal cancer is the second most common cancer involving the respiratory tract, second only to lung cancer. Previous studies have shown opium dependency to be a possible risk factor for laryngeal cancer. Opium consumption is a major problem in some parts of the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of opium consumption on the pattern of involvement in laryngeal cancer. In this analytical cross-sectional study, 44 patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer (41 male and three female) were studied. Data were collected using a questionnaire, physical examination, and paraclinical studies. Patients were defined as opium dependent based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) (DSM-IV) criteria and duration of opium consumption. Patients were categorized into two groups: opium-dependent (32.6%) and non-opium-dependent (67.4%) patients. The average age of the patients was 58.5±3.2 years in the opium-dependent group and 60.7±2.8 years in the non-opium-dependent group (P=non-significant). An analysis of the pattern of involvement in each group showed glottis involvement in 56%, subglottis involvement in 8%, supraglottis involvement in 32%, and hypopharyngeal involvement in 4% of the opium-dependent group compared with glottis involvement in 55.9%, subglottis involvement in 11.8%, supraglottis involvement in 32.4%, and hypopharyngeal involvement in none of the non-opium-dependent group (P=non-significant). There was a poor correlation between opium dependency and pattern of involvement in laryngeal cancer. Opium dependency did not lead to the development of laryngeal cancer at a younger age, based on our study.

Opium Consumption Prevalence Among Patients With Ischemic Stroke Compared With Healthy Individuals in Iran

Background: One of the supposed risk factors of ischemic stroke is opium addiction, while the researches about its prevalence among patients with stroke are limited. Objectives: The aim of this study was comparing the prevalence of opium addiction between subjects with thrombotic ischemic stroke and healthy individuals. Patients and Methods: In this comparative cross-sectional study carried out in a number of academic hospitals affiliated to Guilan University of Medical Science in the north of Iran from April 2013 to March 2014, 83 patients involved by ischemic stroke and 83 control subjects contributed. Both groups were selected by simple sampling method. We tried to match the groups in terms of age, gender and socioeconomic condition during sampling. Those were assessed from the aspects of demographic data, risk factors of stroke, opium dependence, dosage and the methods of consumption, and the data was recorded in a designed checklist. The data were analyzed using chi-squared test, independent t-test, and multiple logistic regression models in SPSS software version 19. P < 0.05 was considered as the level of significance. Results: A total of 83 patients (47% female and 53% male) with mean age of 68.55 ± 15.01 years and 83 control subjects (37.3% female and 62.7% male) with mean age of 67.94 ± 13.55 years (P = 0.782) were assessed; 39.8% of the case group and 20.5% of the control group consumed opium with no significant difference (P = 0.007). There was no difference in the amount and methods of opium consumption between the two groups. After the adjustment of the effects of underlying and confounding variables, opium was not determined as an associated factor with stroke (OR = 1.95, P = 0.096). Conclusions: Opium was not identified as a risk factor of ischemic stroke. A more extended survey considering further confounding factors is recommended.

Moderate hypothermia and its effects in reducing the applied dose of anesthetics for patients with opium dependence in cardiac surgery: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAn increasing number of patients addicted to opium are experiencing awareness during coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) as a result of tolerance to anesthetics.ObjectivesThis research was primarily intended to determine the potential diminishing effects of moderate hypothermia on anesthetic dosage and recall of anesthesia during the procedure.MethodsIn this double-blind randomized controlled trial, a total of 80 CABG candidates with known addiction to opium were divided into two groups: one normothermic (N) and the other moderately hypothermic (H), both undergoing induction as well as close monitoring from September 2014 to January 2016. The candidates were initially set for a target bispectral index (BIS) score of between 40 and 60. As the score rose to 60, an additional dose of propofol was administered, alongside rise in blood pressure and tear-shedding. To enhance the accuracy of our evaluation of anesthetic depth, we also used two questionnaires to test candidates’ recall filled with the assistance of a colleague 24 hours following surgery. Independent-samples t-test and chi-square test were used by SPSS v 18 for data analysis.ResultsEighty patients were studied in two groups of normothermic (N) (n = 40) and hypothermic (H) (n = 40). Given similar demographic data as well as the duration of surgery, we arrived at a propofol dose of 122.52±13.11 cc for normothermic patients and 101.28±14.06 cc for hypothermic subjects (p=0.001). As for fentanyl, the total required sum came up to 39.60±21.04 cc and 31.72±5.81 cc for the above-mentioned groups in order (p=0.025). Moreover, the post-operative interview showed that there was no report of a patient with memory recall following surgery.ConclusionsModerate hypothermia can substantially reduce the need for anesthetics in patients with addiction to opium when undergoing CABG surgery.Trial registrationThis study is registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with registration number of IRCT2014050513159N5.FundingThis research was supported financially by the Research Council of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (grant number 920405).

The Mortality Rate of Myocardial Infraction Patients With and Without Opium Dependen.

Background:Myocardial infarction (MI) is a heart condition caused by the suspension of blood circulation in a part of the myocardium. There are different risk factors contributing to a heart attack. Some believe that endorphins and endogenous opioids play an important role in causing MIs.Objectives:This study intended to determine the relationship between opium dependency and mortality rate among patients with MI.Patients and Methods:This retrospective study investigated patients who had MI for the first time and were hospitalized in the coronary care unit (CCU) of Khatamolanbia hospital in Zahedan, Iran, from 2007 to 2010. These patients were either opium dependent or not. Four hundred patients were selected. The patients’ possibilities of death and re-hospitalization after the first MI were confirmed over the phone. Data was analyzed through t-test and chi-squared test.Results:Of all the patients, 19.5% were opium-dependent. The mortality rate in the non-opium-dependent group was 5.9%, while in the dependent group this rate was 11.5% (P = 0.072). The number of re-hospitalizations due to heart problems was higher in the opium-dependent patients (P < 0.001).Conclusions:There was no meaningful relationship between the mortality rate of patients with MI who were either opium-dependent or non-opium-dependent. The number of re-hospitalizations due to heart problems was meaningfully higher in the opium-dependent patients; hence, educating people and training them on the destructive effects of opium, specifically in patients with heart conditions is highly recommended.

A case-control study of psychosocial risk and protective factors of self-immolation in Iran

Self-immolation is the third leading cause of years of life lost (YLL) among women in Iran. The aim of this study is to investigate self-immolation-related risk and protective factors in the western region of Iran, a province with the highest prevalent of self-immolation in the country. Using a case-control design, we compared 151 cases of self-immolation attempters who were admitted to a burn center in Kermanshah with 302-matched control group from the same community/locality between March 21st, 2009, and March 20th, 2012. We conducted descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analysis to examine the associations of self-immolation with demographic and familial risk factors, adverse life events, mental disorders, as well as potential protective factors. According to our findings, the highest percentage of self-immolation was in the 16–25 year-old age group (60%) and in females (76%). Of the potential risk factors in the study, major depression, adjustment disorders, individual history of suicide attempts and opium dependence, were statistically significant predictors of self-immolation. Suggestions for translating the local picture of self-immolation portrayed by our findings, into meaningful prevention strategies that have a good fit with the social and interpersonal context within which self-immolation takes place are discussed.

Prediction of Risky Behaviors Based on Concurrency of Alcohol Abuse and Opiate Dependence in Patients Treated in Methadone Maintenance Program: North Khorasan Addiction Study

Background: High prevalence of risky behaviors in alcohol dependents have been shown in several studies, but correlation between alcohol abuse and risky behaviors and relapse in patients with opiate dependence has been less investigated. This study aimed to determine the effect of alcohol abuse in rate of risk-taking behaviors in opiate dependents patients treated on maintenance program in North Khorasan addiction rehabilitation clinics in northeastern of Iran. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional survey of patients sampled from North khorasan addiction rehabilitation clinics database. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, which included the alcohol abuse self-report and risk-taking behaviors checklist and socio-demographic and substance use characteristics. Chi-square test was used for comparison of results. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 22 software. Differences were considered significant at P<0.05. Results: We interviewed 7133 patients (82.5% were men). The median age was 32.4 years. 953 patients (13.4%) had a history of risk-taking behavior in last year. Risk-taking behavior in patients with alcohol abuse was significantly higher compared with patients without history of alcohol abuse (49.7% vs. 12.3 %, P < 0.001). History of being in jail in last year was significantly higher in alcohol abusers compared to non-abuser group (12.7% vs. 5.1% P<0.05). The prevalence of risk-taking behaviors in patients with opium dependence was 9.6%, with heroin dependence was 35.9% and in subjects with concomitant use of heroin and methamphetamine was 54.6%. Conclusion: Alcohol abuse among patients undergoing MMT is associated with an increased rate of risky behaviors. Moreover, risky behaviors were significantly correlated with type of substance abused. Concurrent treatment of alcohol-related problems including systematic monitoring of alcohol use is recommended to reduce the risk for relapse into illicit drug use and improve harm reduction program.

Parables and Unitarianism in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton

Parables and Unitarianism in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton1 Amy Coté (bio) Mary loved another! That idea would rise uppermost in his mind, and had to be combated in all its forms of pain. It was, perhaps, no great wonder that she should prefer one so much above Jem in all the external things of life. But the gentleman! Why did he, with his range of choice among the ladies of the land, why did he stoop down to carry off the poor man’s darling? With all the glories of the garden at hand, why did he prefer to cull the wild-rose? (166) This passage from Mary Barton (1848) offers a window into the complex formal and thematic workings of Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel of Manchester life. Jem Wilson, working-class suitor of Mary Barton, has just discovered that Mary prefers Harry Carson, the rich mill owner’s son. Read synecdochically, Jem’s reaction stands in for many episodes Gaskell depicts: the rich live lavishly while the poor go without. What interests me, however, is Gaskell’s allusion to 2 Samuel 12.1–7 in the phrase “the poor man’s darling” (166). This Biblical text recounts a parable told to King David after he has had an affair with Bathsheba and arranged for the murder of her husband.2 The prophet Nathan tells of a rich man who, to feed his guests, took from a poor man his single beloved lamb. Hearing the story, David is enraged, insisting that the rich man should be condemned to death and restore four times what he took. Nathan responds with the famous indictment: “Thou art the man” (2 Samuel 12.7).3 Just as Nathan sets his parable alongside the story of David and Bathsheba, Gaskell places Nathan’s parable alongside her story of Jem, Harry, and Mary. Such is the nature of parables: they do not present explicit lessons but rather prompt the reader’s engagement with moral problems by means of stories juxtaposed against one another. Mary Barton traces the lives of a working-class father and daughter, John and Mary Barton, living in Manchester in the late 1830s and early 1840s. Although Gaskell’s novel often focuses on questions of the domestic and the individual, her characters are by no means exempt from the wider political history of the time; indeed, the failure of the 1839 Chartist petition forces John Barton into depression and opium dependency, galvanizes his radical politics, and drives him to murder his daughter’s rich suitor, Harry Carson. Published [End Page 59] anonymously six months after the failed Chartist uprising at Kennington Common in April 1848, the novel drew extreme praise and extreme criticism from the press and from Gaskell’s personal acquaintances (Uglow 215–16).4 The novel frankly addresses the conditions faced by the Manchester poor and sympathizes with its Chartist protagonist, the murderer John Barton. The revolutions of 1848 made Mary Barton’s political interventions especially timely5—indeed, Gaskell pushed her publisher to release the novel earlier than scheduled in order to address the political situation. As she wrote, “the tenor of my tale is such as to excite attention at this present time of struggle” (Chapple and Pollard 53). However, her preface, written at Chapman’s insistence, claimed ignorance of political economy and insisted that Mary Barton had been written in the mid-1840s, when Chartist activism seemed to have lulled.6 Although Gaskell may not have conceived Mary Barton as attuned to the political situation of England in 1848, she certainly wove contemporary events and movement into her radical rhetoric. Equally radical, however, were Mary Barton’s religious implications—implications that scholars have generally undervalued in favour of the novel’s explicitly political setting. This essay will examine the form and function of parables in Mary Barton, which, I suggest, we must read in the context of Gaskell’s Unitarian faith. Born into a devout Unitarian family, Gaskell was exposed from a young age to the doctrines of this dissenting church and remained immersed in them through her adult life due to her marriage to William Gaskell, minister of Cross Street Unitarian Chapel in Manchester...

Comparison of frequency of sleep disorders in MMT volunteers and opium dependant patients

Use of any sedative or narcotic substance may change the quality of sleep, and quitting these substances can affect sleep as well. Nowadays, Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is the most common method for treating substance dependence. The relationship between substance and sleep is a bidirectional one in which use of a substance directly causes sleep disturbance and sleep problems is a critical factor for substance- use relapse. This study seeks to analyze and compare sleep disorders in MMT patients and opium- dependent patients who have not received any treatment yet. Both MMT patients and opium-dependents filled Pittsburg Sleep Quality Questionnaire and GSAQ. For the purpose of this study we recruited 126 men; 65 and 61 patients in MMT and opium dependent group, respectively. According to PSQI from total of 126 patients 104 (82.5%) had a PSQI score ⩾5 meaning a bad sleep quality. Both groups were comparable in terms of six areas of sleep quality but higher proportion of daytime dysfunction among those who were dependent to opium compared to those who were under MMT ( p = 0.001). The findings of the present study are in the same direction as the previous studies.We can conclude that comparing to opium, MMT is more effective in reducing sleep problems and has a better prognosis. Thanks from Dr. Atena Azami for cooperation to doing this work.

Comparison of personality characteristic and irrational beliefs between females with opium dependency and female with methamphetamine dependency

Comparison of personality characteristic and irrational beliefs between females with opium dependency and female with methamphetamine dependency

Mania Precipitated by Opioid Withdrawal: A Retrospective Study

Little evidence is available on the occurrence of mania following opioid withdrawal. This is the first report on clinical and demographic characteristics of mania precipitated by opioid withdrawal in a relatively large sample. In this study, we assessed the files of the patients admitted to a large referral psychiatric hospital during a 3-year period with a presentation of manic episode shortly after opioid withdrawal. Forty-five relevant cases (one woman) were found, including 28 patients with their first manic episode, and 17 patients with a previous history of bipolar disorder. Most of the identified cases had a long history (mean = 11.8 years) of opium dependence (24 cases used only opium and 16 cases opium and other opioids) and had recently experienced an intense withdrawal (25 cases). These associations were present in both first-episode patients and those with recurrent episodes. Emergence of mania following opioid withdrawal could be partly explained by mood stabilizing effects of opioids. Other than the type of opioid, it seems that the duration of use and withdrawal method might play a role. Caution should be used while detoxifying patients with a long history of opioid use.

The Effect of Opium Dependency of Parent (s) on Offspring's Spatial Learning & Memory in Adult Male Rats.

As far as we know, there has been no report regarding the effects of opium addiction or dependency of both parents on the learning and memory process in offspring. The aim of this study was to examine the learning and memory changes of adult male offspring whose mothers, fathers and/or both parents had dependency to opium before and during pregnancy. Materials and Methods : All experiments were carried out on Wistar rats. Opium dependency was induced by daily injections of opium (10 mg/kg/SC, bid/10 d) before mating. The presence of a vaginal plug was designated as gestation day. Treatment with opium continued through breeding and gestation until parturition. Spatial memory was tested in male offspring of control, saline and prenatal opium treated groups by a training trial and the probe test in the Morris water maze. Swimming escape latency in the maze and the ability to find the platform in the training trial were recorded. The time spent in the trigger zone and number of times the rats crossed the platform during the probe phase and swimming speed were measured. The data revealed increased escape latency and a greater distance traveled to find the hidden platform in the offspring's whose mother, father and /or both parents were exposed to opium. Crossings to target quadrant at probe trials was significantly reduced in all of the prenatal opium exposed offsprings. The swimming speed showed a significant increase in father and parent's opium exposed offspring. Prenatal opium exposure of either parent may cause deficits in spatial learning, but the precise mechanism(s) remain largely unknown.

Maintenance Therapy with Opium Tincture for Injecting Drug Users; Implications for Prevention from Viral Infections

Maintenance Therapy with Opium Tincture for Injecting Drug Users; Implications for Prevention from Viral Infections

Opium decreases the age at myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death: a long- and short-term outcome evaluation.

Opium dependence is a recognized individual and public health threat, but little is known about its association with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or sudden cardiac death (SCD). In a cross-sectional study followed by a one-year matched longitudinal cohort, all 569 men hospitalized with AMI in all Cardiac Care Units (CCU) of Isfahan, Iran, were recruited in a six-month period. In addition, 123 out-of-hospital deaths were included that were diagnosed as SCD at the same duration. Among those discharged alive, 126 opium dependents were matched with 126 nondependents (mostly nonusers) according to age and smoking status, and were followed for one year. Opium dependence was measured using the ICD10 criteria and Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) questionnaire. The method was validated by morphine blood levels. Biochemical measurements, blood pressure, blood cell counts, anthropometrics, and ejection fraction were measured at baseline and repeated at the end of follow-up. There were 118 (17.1%) patients with an average of 17.4 ± 10.4 years of abuse who met the criteria for opium dependency. Opium dependence decreased the age at event by 3.6 (95% CI: 1.2 - 6.0) years and was independent of smoking (P = 0.003). In terms of cardiovascular risk factors such as ejection fraction, in addition to post-AMI mortality and morbidity, no significant associations were noted at baseline or after one year of follow-up. The odds ratio of sustained smoking after AMI was 1.92 (95% CI: 1.04 - 3.52) in opium dependents (P = 0.033). Despite public opinion, opium did not improve cardiovascular risk factors, or post-AMI mortality and morbidity. Conversely, there were irrefutable findings regarding the detrimental effects of opium dependence.

Pharmacological therapies for maintenance treatments of opium dependence

Pharmacologic therapies for maintenance treatment of heroin dependence have been used and studied widely. Systematic reviews have demonstrated the effectiveness of such therapies. Opium dependence is associated with less problems and impairments and is less likely to be used by injecting, with consequent reductions in risk of overdose and blood-borne diseases. Although it is a common substance use disorder in many countries, a systematic review of the literature is lacking on the maintenance treatment for opium dependence. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of various pharmacological therapies on maintenance of opium dependence (alone or in combination with psychosocial interventions) compared to no intervention, detoxification, different doses of the same intervention, other pharmacologic interventions and any psychosocial interventions. We searched the following sources up to February 2012: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, regional databases (IMEMR and ASCI), national databases (Iranmedex and Iranpsych), main electronic sources of ongoing trials and reference lists of all relevant papers. Also, we contacted known investigators from some Asian countries to obtain details about unpublished trials. Randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) comparing any maintenance pharmacologic intervention versus no intervention, other pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic intervention for opium dependence. Two reviewers assessed the risks of biases and extracted data, independently. Three RCTs recruiting 870 opium dependents were included. The studies made different comparisons so it was not possible to pool data. Only retention rate was assessed by the studies. Two studies compared different doses of buprenorphine: in one study, 4 mg/day of buprenorphine was compared with doses of 2 mg/day and 1 mg/day and in another study, 8 mg/day of buprenorphine was compared with doses of 3 mg/day and 1 mg/day. Comparisons showed a statistically significant difference between groups; higher doses of buprenorphine increased the probability of retention in treatment. The studies had high risks of biases. In the third study, after a process of detoxification, baclofen (60 mg/day) was compared with placebo for maintenance treatment. The difference in retention rate between groups was high, but it was not statistically significant. It is not possible to conclude about the use of any kind of pharmacologic therapies for maintenance treatment of opium dependence.

The rate of addiction in parents of toddlers with congenital heart disease.

BackgroundOpium abuse is one of the widespread social problems, and one of the most worrying aspects of it is the effect of parents’ drug abuse on the fetus.ObjectivesThe present study has investigated the correlation between opium abuse during pregnancy in mothers with congenital heart defects in their children.Materials and MethodsFrom early 2009 to late 2011, for two consecutive years in specialized pediatric center of Zahedan Medical University, 225 of children suffering from congenital heart defects were examined and compared with 480 healthy ones for mother opium dependency. The final data were analyzed by student t-test and χ2 in SPSS software and the two groups were compared in terms of their parents’ addiction to opium.ResultsFrom 225 children under study 23.5% had addicted parents based on the variables of the study but the rate was only 2.3 for the control group. The difference between these two groups was significant and the most common form of heart disease was congenital ventricular septal defect.ConclusionsOpium has teratogenic effect on cardiovascular system.

Risk and protective factors of self-immolation: a population based case control study from Iran

ObjectiveAfter disaster and breast cancer, self-immolation is the third leading cause of years of life lost among women in Iran. The aim of this study is to investigate risk and...

Effect of opium dependency on secondary intention wound healing in a rat model: an experimental study

Opium dependency is a social and health problem in some middle eastern countries like Iran. Many of these people may require surgery. This study investigates the effects of opium dependency on histological parameters of secondary intention wound healing in rat. A full-thickness wound (2 × 2 cm in diameters) was created on the dorsum of two groups of rats, a normal control group and a second group of rat depended to opium (Badawy's method). Several times during 14 days postwounding, the wound was excised with peripheral margins of normal skin and was evaluated for cellular population, reepithelialisation and revascularisation. Results are presented as the mean ± standard error. Data were compared by an unpaired t-test or analysis of variance. Histological examination of the wound tissue showed evidence of increased population of fibroblasts, decreased recruitment of neutrophile and plateau of macrophage cells in opium depended animals comparing with control group. In the depended animals, reepithelialisation was seen to be enhanced significantly, while prohibiting progression of revascularisation. This study shows that opium dependency enhances reepitheliazation as well as tissue recruitment of fibroblasts; thereby probable enhancement of secondary intention wound healing.

Convergence of genetic influences in comorbidity

BackgroundPredisposition to complex diseases is explained in part by genetic variation, and complex diseases are frequently comorbid, consistent with pleiotropic genetic variation influencing comorbidity. Genome Wide Association (GWA) studies typically assess association between SNPs and a single-disease phenotype. Fisher meta-analysis combines evidence of association from single-disease GWA studies, assuming that each study is an independent test of the same hypothesis. The Rank Product (RP) method overcomes limitations posed by Fisher assumptions, though RP was not designed for GWA data.MethodsWe modified RP to accommodate GWA data, and we call it modRP. Using p-values output from GWA studies, we aggregate evidence for association between SNPs and related phenotypes. To assess significance, RP randomly samples the observed ranks to develop the null distribution of the RP statistic, and then places the observed RPs into the null distribution. ModRP eliminates the effect of linkage disequilibrium and controls for differences in power at tested SNPs, to meet RP assumptions in application to GWA data.ResultsAfter validating modRP based on both positive and negative control studies, we searched for pleiotropic influences on comorbid substance use disorders in a novel study, and found two SNPs to be significantly associated with comorbid cocaine, opium, and nicotine dependence. Placing these SNPs into biological context, we developed a protein network modeling the interaction of cocaine, nicotine, and opium with these variants.ConclusionsModRP is a novel approach to identifying pleiotropic genetic influences on comorbid complex diseases. It can be used to assess association for related phenotypes where raw data is unavailable or inappropriate for analysis using other approaches. The method is conceptually simple and produces statistically significant, biologically relevant results.

Opioid withdrawal-induced hypomania: A case series

The aim of this study was to report hypomanic symptoms after opioid withdrawal. In this case series, nine opioid-dependent patients with hypomanic profile on opioid withdrawal were selected from outpatients in a private psychiatric clinic. Opium dependency was diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition). Substance history, clinical features, temperament, and family history were retrospectively probed. Patients displayed pure or mixed hypomanic symptoms on opioid withdrawal. In nearly all subjects, the symptoms continued until individuals started taking the opioid again. Features of hyperthymic temperament and family history of bipolarity were traced in most of the individuals.

The Chemical Investigation of Papaver Seeds

The Papaver species (common name: poppy; plant family: Papaveraceae) has been involved in a wide array of research, particularly in the interest of botany, food biotechnology and clinical chemistry. Its bright and colourful flowers receive international recognition in floriculture industry, while the seeds’ function was recently reviewed as a source of linoleic acid and other functional food. However, abuse cases were also reported, due to the presence of natural opiates, such as heroine, morphine and codeine, thus contributing to the opium dependence. Here, the results from a preliminary test concerning two samples are presented. The experiment consisted of Papaver seeds from a local bakery and the herbalist. Following a series of organic extraction, three reagents including Mayer, Draggendorf and Bouchardat solutions were utilized in order to screen the phytochemical constituents. The detection method respectively gave positive results of white, orange and brown reddish precipitates, indicating the occurrence of alkaloids. The most significant precipitations were revealed from the chloroform extract of the herbal example. Earlier separation procedure utilizing hexane was withdrawn; due to the deficiency of the extractive. Chromatographic technique could be applied in order to separate the major compounds. Hopefully, this scientific investigation could provide educational information covering the topics of recreational drugs and essential pharmaceutical materials.