What are Opiates and Opioids? The wide spectrum of narcotic substances incorporates both legitimate pain medications and illicit substances. While they share many physiological and psychological effects, these substances have different origins and routes to initiation. Opiates such as morphine, heroin, and codeine are derived from opium harvested from unripe poppy seed pods. At one time, opioids referred to synthetic opiates only (chemical preparations created to simulate opium). They are collectively known as pharmaceutical opioid analgesics, or simply prescription pain medications and include opioids such as hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin®) and oxycodone (e.g., OxyContin® and Percocet®). Today, the term opioid is now used for the entire family of opiate-like drugs, regardless of whether they are natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic.