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Morphine (INN), the
principal active agent in
opium, is a
powerful opioid analgesic drug. Like other
opiates, morphine
acts directly on the central nervous system (CNS) to
relieve pain, and at synapses of the arcuate nucleus, in particular.
Morphine was the most commonly abused narcotic analgesic
in the world up until heroin was synthesized and came into use. Even today, morphine is
the most sought after prescription narcotic by heroin addicts when
heroin is scarce |