Heroin's Global Reach

The Process
After opium sap is collected from poppy bulbs, the wet, sticky gum is left to dry in the sun. The resulting resin can be smoked; otherwise, workers in simple, mobile labs near the fields extract morphine from the substance. With the help of a chemical process, they convert the morphine to heroin, a far more potent substance. Refining the opium in-country makes smuggling it out much easier.

• Cannabis Culture