opium

Related to opium: laudanum

the opium of the masses

That which creates a feeling of false happiness, contentment, or numbness to reality. Adapted from Karl Marx's description of organized religion. But all of this superstition is of course just the opium of the masses, designed to make you feel better about the chaos of the world and the fear of death, while remaining in service to an organization that directly benefits from your financial contributions. All of these pieces of technology, these video games, these television shows, they are all just the opium of the masses, keeping us blind and numb to the machinations of the corporations and politicians that control everything.
See also: masse, of, opium

the opium of the people

That which creates a feeling of false happiness, contentment, or numbness to reality. Adapted from Karl Marx's description of organized religion. But all of this superstition is of course just the opium of the people, designed to make you feel better about the chaos of the world and the fear of death, while remaining in service to an organization that directly benefits from your financial contributions. All of these pieces of technology, these video games, these television shows, they are all just the opium of the people, keeping us blind and numb to the machinations of the corporations and politicians that control everything.
See also: of, opium, people
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the opium of the people

or

the opium of the masses

The opium of the people or the opium of the masses is something that makes a lot of people feel happy. He saw religion as the opium of the people. I see the reality show as the new opium of the masses. Note: This phrase was used by Karl Marx to describe religion.
See also: of, opium, people
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

the opium of the people (or masses)

something regarded as inducing a false and unrealistic sense of contentment among people.
This idiom is a translation of the German phrase Opium des Volks, used by Karl Marx in 1844 in reference to religion.
See also: of, opium, people
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • the opiate of the masses
  • the opium of the masses
  • the opium of the people
  • a song in (one's) heart
  • a song in your heart
  • be at peace with the world
  • contentment
  • feel a glow of contentment
  • hygge
  • cage
References in periodicals archive
Similarly, ANF Peshawar conducted 10 operations in different areas and recovered seven kg Heroin, 1.2 kg hashish, one kg hashish, 2.450 kg methamphetamine (Ice), 2.4 kg hashish, 972 grams methamphetamine (Ice), eight kg opium, seven kg heroin, 916 grams methamphetamine (Ice), 1.675 kg heroin, 1.075 kg hashish, 500 grams hashish and netted Akhtar Nazim, Razmat Shah, Amad Zeb, Syed Umair Shah, Noor Islam, Khyber Gul, Khial Din, Gul Zaman, Fateh Khan, Sharif Khan, Zahid Khan and Sher Afzal.
ANF seizes 2.14 tons drugs in 32 operations; arrests 40 including four females
It comes after Mr Stewart told the Telegraph that the opium "had no effect" on him "because I was walking 25-30 miles a day".
Stewart makes opium apology; LEADERSHIP
ANF Peshawar in eight operations recovered 1.180 kg Hashish, 1.780 kg Opium, 1.2 kg opium, 3.6 kg hashish, 1.1 kg hashish, 1.2 kg hashish, 700 grams heroin, 800 grams hashish, one kg hashish and 1.2 kg hashish besides arresting Mohammad Zubair, Tousif Khan, Tahir Iqbal, Arif Khan, Mohammad Raees, Zafar ul Haq, Sabir Hussain, Ibrahim Khan and Laiq Shah.
ANF seizes 3145 kg drugs worth Rs 2.995 bln in 25 operations; arrests 32
One of the reasons the Chinese were not welcome was the perception that opium smoking was widespread in various Chinatowns.
The Beginning of Drug Prohibition in Canada What's Past Is Prologue
account of the nineteenth-century Opium Wars in which Ghosh
MATERIALIZING THE IMPROBABLE: BODILY INTIMACIES AND THE AGENTIC MATERIALITY OF OPIUM IN AMITAV GHOSH'S IBIS TRILOGY
Initial analysis by scientists at the British Museum showed that the juglet residue was mostly composed of a plant oil but hinted at the presence of opium alkaloids.
Research shows Cyprus artefacts used for opiates, not perfume
To date, the UN has enlisted 300 farmers in Laos, and 1,000 in Myanmar to grow the beans, many of them current or former opium growers.
Golden roasts: The 'golden triangle' switches from growing opium crops to coffee
In the words of former US army commander Gen John Nicholson, the plan is to 'hit the Taliban where it hurts; their finances', and 'nearly 200 million of this opium industry goes into the Taliban's bank accounts and this ...
Drugs, bombs and failure
Its opium became a treasured export in the 1960s and 70s as heroin hit the streets of America and drug money became entwined in the United States' doomed anti-communist fight.
Getting high in Laos' opium-riddled mountains
Similar problems were noted when the US tired using herbicides to curb opium production, which was also a very unpopular move.
US counter-drug experiences in Afghanistan
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium accounts for more than 15 percent of Afghanistan's GDP.
The Poppy Growers
The amount of opium consumed by opium users varies widely; published estimates range from 0.6 g/day (3) to >100 g/day (4).
Lead Contamination of Opium--Iran, 2016. (Notes from the Field)
The report, released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has confirmed that the area cultivated in Afghanistan for the production of opium increased by 10 percent this year.
Fields of poppy
When Good Drugs Go Bad: Opium, Medicole, and the Origins of Canada's Drug Laws, by Dan Malleck.
When Good Drugs Go Bad: Opium, Medicole, and the Origins of Canada's Drug Laws