Opium consumption
This volume of the IARC Monographs provides an evaluation of the carcinogenicity of opium consumption. Opium is a highly addictive narcotic drug that has been used for centuries for medicinal and non-medicinal purposes. It has analgesic, hypnotic, antitussive, gastrointestinal, and cognitive effects...
| Corporate Authors: | , |
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Lyon, France
International Agency for Research on Cancer
2021, 2021
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| Series: | IARC monographs on the identification of carcinogenic hazards to humans
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| Online Access: | |
| Collection: | National Center for Biotechnology Information - Collection details see MPG.ReNa |
| Summary: | This volume of the IARC Monographs provides an evaluation of the carcinogenicity of opium consumption. Opium is a highly addictive narcotic drug that has been used for centuries for medicinal and non-medicinal purposes. It has analgesic, hypnotic, antitussive, gastrointestinal, and cognitive effects. Produced from the juice (latex) of the unripe seedpod of the poppy plant (Papaver somniferum), opium has a complex chemical composition consisting of at least 25 alkaloids (e.g. morphine, codeine, thebaine) and other substances. There are several forms of opium (raw or crude opium, dross, refined opium or opium sap), all of which can be smoked or ingested. Opium derivatives such as morphine, codeine, and heroin were not considered in the present monograph. Although opium production and distribution are controlled internationally, opium is produced illicitly in some 50 countries worldwide, with more than 80% coming from Afghanistan. The world's largest per capita consumers of raw or minimally processed opium are the Islamic Republic of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In 2018, there were an estimated 5 million users of illicit opium worldwide. After reviewing epidemiological evidence, animal bioassays, and mechanistic data to assess the carcinogenic hazard to humans of opium consumption, the IARC Monographs Working Group concluded that opium consumption is carcinogenic to humans |
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| Item Description: | "This publication represents the views and expert opinions of the IARC Working Group on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans, which met remotely, 11-20 September 2020." |
| Physical Description: | 1 PDF file (iv 253 pages) illustrations |
| ISBN: | 9789283201939 9789283201656 |