Concepts across various domains and fields

¶ … opium in China with that of the United States after the Civil War? Provide an analysis as to how the early problems with opiates influenced the drug problems of the 1970s worldwide.

Narcotics and drug abuse is common all over the world. The use of drugs dates back to 5000 BC (all the way up to the New Stone Age). Most drugs, at first were used for medicinal purposes. However, over time, they were introduced as being available for recreational use. It is the recreational use of the drugs, in large doses, that not only harms the user but also the community to which they belong. Most of the drugs have been derived from natural plants and herbs, and mixed with other ingredients to give a soothing, euphoric and relieving effect. One such example is opium.

Review

Opium is derived from a plant called poppy, which has an uncertain history. Few horticulturists are of the belief that it a naturally evolved plant which mutated into its characteristics through changes in the climatic conditions, while others are convinced that it has been cultivated carefully by humans over the centuries. Nonetheless, this little latex of a plant has a lot of significance in drug history.

Opium had been introduced in China via Arab traders in the 8th century as a medicinal drug. Opium contains compounds such as morphine and codeine, which display the behaviors similar to that of analgesics and are used to treat pain (Booth, 1996). However, repeated administration of the drug can lead to addiction to it along with other side effects such as drowsiness, constipation and nausea (Opium Org., 2013) . However, in the early 17th century, the Portuguese trading off coast pioneered its use as a luxury habit, being it expensive and rare at the time. But it was the British who began the opium trade with China on a large scale, making it available to the masses at cheaper rates. Soon enough, the entire nation was addicted to the drug. Even though it was still being used for its medicinal purposes, its main purpose was to be used recreationally. Several writers of history, such as Yangwen Zheng, indicate in their writing that's opium was used even in the smallest village of China, which might not even have access to rice (Zheng, 2003). Opium was mixed with tobacco and other herbs, and smoked with it. This method was highly popular.