Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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Opium is a narcotic substance derived from the poppy plant (Papaver somniferum), historically used for pain relief, ritual purposes, and recreational consumption. Today, it is primarily processed into heroin and morphine, making it central to global drug markets and public health crises.
Humans have used opium for at least 5,000 years, with archaeological evidence pointing to ancient Mesopotamia. Early societies prized it for its medicinal, spiritual, and economic value.
Opium became a major geopolitical commodity in the 18th and 19th centuries, fueling imperial expansion, financing colonial economies, and shaping global trade routes. Its role in the Opium Wars fundamentally altered the balance of power between China and Western empires.
British, French, and Dutch colonial administrations taxed, monopolized, or directly trafficked opium to fund governance. In British India, opium sales to China accounted for up to one-sixth of colonial revenue at times.
No. Until the 20th century, opium and its derivatives were widely prescribed, advertised, and sold legally; many households kept laudanum (opium dissolved in alcohol) as a remedy for pain or coughs. Only after widespread addiction and overdose deaths did governments begin prohibiting it.