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Learning
to Make Opiates Without Flowers
In the early 1970s, a severe opium shortage was created by increased demand,
poor poppy crops, a Turkish ban on poppy cultivation, and the Soviet Union's
entry as a buyer of opium on the world market. In 1973, 45% of the United
States' strategic stockpile of opium had to be released for domestic use.
Finding a way to manufacture totally synthetic opium products from readily
available materials became imperative.
On January 22, 1979, Dr. Kenner Rice of the LMC discovered the critical
chemical reaction enabling large-scale production of totally synthetic
morphine, codeine, and thebaine, the three basic raw materials in opium.
As shown in his laboratory journal, the initial sign of success was the
identical chromatographic behavior of Dr. Rice's product and an authentic
sample from opium. Dr. Rice's method, now internationally known as the
NIH Total Opiate Synthesis, is still the only practical process available
for making large quantities of opium products from synthetic materials,
guaranteeing reliable supplies of opiate pain relievers.
Back To Top | Photography
Credits
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A Page from Dr. Rice's Laboratory Journal |
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