Opiate

An opiate is an alkaloid substance derived from opium (or poppy straw).^[1] It differs from the similar term opioid in that the latter is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonists).^[2] Opiates are alkaloid compounds naturally found in the opium poppy plant Papaver somniferum.^[3] The psychoactive compounds found in the opium plant include morphine, codeine, and thebaine. Opiates have long been used for a variety of medical conditions, with evidence of opiate trade and use for pain relief as early as the eighth century AD.^[4] Most opiates are considered drugs with moderate to high abuse potential and are listed on various "Substance-Control Schedules" under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act of the United States of America.

In 2014, between 13 and 20 million people used opioids recreationally (0.3% to 0.4% of the global population between the ages of 15 and 65).^[5] According to the CDC, from this population, there were 47,000 deaths, with a total of 500,000 deaths from 2000 to 2014.^[6] In 2016, the World Health Organization reported that 27 million people suffer from opioid use disorder. They also reported that in 2015, 450,000 people died as a result of drug use, with between a third and a half of that number being attributed to opioids.^[7]