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FEATURE DOCUMENTARY: Addicted to pleasure - Opium

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How can a simple plant offer pain relief and induce pain?
How can a simple plant offer pain relief and induce pain?

Many don't realise just how much we rely on opium and the drugs we derive from it – drugs which have the power to both relieve and inflict pain.

Thousands of people have used opium in some way – many have had controlled, monitored doses of medication, while others have fallen into the dangerous clutches of addiction.

Brian Cox went on a journey to uncover the rich, provocative history of opium and to discover how a simple plant became a hugely profitable global commodity.

Image credit: iStock

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