MORPHINE is one of the best and safest pain killers available. It is made from natural source — the poppy plant. Morphine is safe and is used for terminal patients, in the battlefield or for people who receive injuries in accidents.

Although morphine is the best pain killer, its supply is limited because it is classed as a prohibited drug and its manufacturing is controlled by the UN. This is because morphine has been found to be addictive.

But reducing the production of morphine has not reduced the production of heroine the world over. On the other hand, patients find it hard to get relief in the absence of morphine. These patients rely on alternative synthetic pain killers that have many dangerous side-effects and reduce their quality of life, apart from costing more.

Pakistan’s neighbour, Afghanistan, is the world’s biggest heroine producer and supplies the world’s 80 per cent heroine. Even the US Army and Nato forces could not stop Afghan farmers from producing poppy plants.

Currently, the UN has allowed certain countries like China, Turkey and India to manufacture morphine. In these countries, the farmers get permission from the government to grow the poppy crop. Each farmer is allotted a fixed area that is fenced.

When the crop is ready the entire plant is transported to the local factory where it is processed into morphine.

Pakistan with the world’s fifth largest population and a healthy pharmaceutical manufacturing sector should also request the UN to allow the manufacturing of morphine drug.

Pakistan can use half of the poppy plants imported from Afghanistan for manufacturing morphine, while half can be grown through local farmers with a special licence.

The UN should be told that this way we might also be able to reduce the supply and production of heroin from Afghanistan.

Shahryar Khan
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2020