opium smoking

Although the drug was creating addicts, the numbers were still limited. It was not until smoking through tobacco pipes was introduced to China, that the true problem with the cultivation of this plant began. Early 17th century brought about a new form of recreation, smoking tobacco mixed with opium through pipes. Smoking opium gives the body a high within one minute of inhaling and was seen as a much more appealing way of using the drug. The opium pipe drew more people to use the drug than ever before. Common people and even women were smoking opium, which was a drastic change from the rich and elite who originally used it. This new form of using opium caught on quickly and spread so fast the Chinese government couldn’t keep it under control. The high demand for the drug made many countries reliant on importing to opium China and created much competition between them. The amount of opium imported to China grew from two hundred chests in 1729 to ten thousand in 1830, and even forty thousand in 1838 (Britannica). The record-breaking amounts of imported opium began causing other nations, such as Afghanistan, to take notice of the desired cash crop.