patrick.net

Yes, and in addition to chemistry, the opiates and opioids share a marketing history. A century ago, Bayer marketed Heroin as a children's cough syrup. Advertisers claimed it was not addictive - unlike morphine and opium, which were already known to be addictive. A century later, the same story repeats with Oxycontin and SSRIs. Somehow, the same sales pitch works over and over again with each "new and improved" drug, until the false claims are obviously disproven by overwhelming data. Something about the money, one suspects. As Upton Sinclair wrote, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

What about synthetic opioids (Tramadol, for example)? It was recently reclassified when its non-addictivity came into question.

curious2 says

A century ago, Bayer marketed Heroin as a children's cough syrup. Advertisers claimed it was not addictive - unlike morphine and opium, which were already known to be addictive.

Well, heroin is a bit more complex and thus, it is conceivable that a snake oil salesmen could fool ppl into thinking its added qualities, the carbonyl grp, gives it a "clean bill of health", when it's one of the most addictive drugs out there. And of course, ppl didn't have these drawings without going to a library.

Heroin:

But two opiates which are practically identical aren't fooling anyone. Yet today, many Americans are Oxycontin addicts.

turtledove says

What about synthetic opioids (Tramadol, for example)?

I'll defer to others more knowledgeable about the specific chemistry, but in general these variations tend to be revenue strategies rather than fundamental differences. Each new variation creates new patent and branding opportunities to get the whole marketing machinery going, premium prices, etc. Any actual medicinal difference tends to be incidental; one PatNet user with a history of opiates and opioids said he preferred the Oxycontin because it lasts longer, but that doesn't seem like it would require a whole new patent and trademark.

curious2 says

opiates and opioids said he preferred the Oxycontin because it lasts longer

The originating plant for Oxycontin is Persian Poppy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaver_bracteatum

This poppy doesn't contain any Morphine.

So what I think had happened is that our pharma crew basically tried to mimic Morphine, creating a version, which would have very similar properties as its more infamous cousin. I suspect that a few in R&D, knew that it could be highly addictive. And then, it's been shamelessly sold as a next generation Aspirin to the public, instead of what it really is and that it's Morphine's cousin drug.