The Rise of Opium

The current problem with opium is that it is distributed majorly by Afghanistan. The only reason that Afghanistan is able to make such a great profit on opium is because it has developed into a highly addictive drug that has accumulated a phenomenal amount of users over the course of its history.
Opium use in China began as a recreational event for the upper class, but it was eaten for the most part, which was a less harmful use of the drug. Eventually sailors brought tobacco into China, and introduced the activity of smoking tobacco to the Chinese. Smoking became such a big hit in China that the Emperor decided to ban it to prevent it from damaging the population. With the ban on tobacco smoking, the Chinese decided to begin smoking opium in its place. They did not know that smoking opium was a much more effective way to intake the drug. This led to a higher rate of addiction, and essentially created the path to the world's use of opium derived drugs. The opium trade spread around the world, and many people became hooked, mostly to the derivative of it known as heroin. Eventually, two of the main players in the trade triangle that had the most control had fall outs within their government, and the trade was disrupted. This led to the shift of the trade to Afghanistan, and the rise to their power in opium trade.