Category:Threats

Poppy Paste

As the population and money from mining and timber decreased, many of the largest plantation owners switched from food crops to poppies. Milk of the Poppy, had long been used to assist in surgeries and amputations, but a new market was created when the milk was processed into a powder form that was easily shipped and very addictive. The work of harvesting and processing was literally back breaking, so some of the plantation owners, started giving milk to their workers, but this cut to deeply into their profits. It was discovered, that a wasted by product of the drying process, poppy paste, was able to fill the needs of the plantation owners. Poppy paste was toxic, but it took years of constant use to kill someone. Workers would smear the paste on their gums, in a process referred to “greasing” and users under its effect were said to be “greased” or “greasy”. Eventually, poppy paste, or Grease as it was now known, made its way from the plantations into the neighborhood and became the drug of choice. Its cheapness and availability making it more popular than alcohol in some circles. The city council has passed several ordinances against Grease, but as several of the members of the council are plantation owners, enforcement has been lax.