The East India Company established a monopoly over the production of opium, shortly after taking over Bengal.

Confucianism strongly condemned the use of drugs like opium.

The British seizure of Hongkong was an aspect of one of the most ugly crimes of the British Empire: the takeover and destruction of India, and the use of India to flood China with opium.

Many Chinese saw opium as a poison introduced by foreign enemies.

Although the Chinese had used opium as a medicine, there was no widespread addiction before the British arrived.

Mexico has done some record-setting ... opium and marijuana production eradication,