Map showing the amount of opium produced in China in 1908: The quote "We English, by the policy we have pursued, are morally responsible for every acre of land in China which is withdrawn from the cultivation of grain and devoted to that of the poppy; so that the fact of the growth of the drug in China ought only to increase our sense of responsibility." is by Lord Justice Fry. Trafkowski, J; Madea, B; Musshoff, F (August 2006). "The significance of putative urinary markers of illicit heroin use after consumption of poppy seed products". Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. 28 (4): 552–8. doi: 10.1097/00007691-200608000-00011. PMID 16885724. S2CID 22585610. Use of opium as a cure-all was reflected in the formulation of mithridatium described in the 1728 Chambers Cyclopedia, which included true opium in the mixture. People often turn to the drugs as a form of escape or an (extremely dangerous) do-it-yourself mental health treatment, Cicero said.

Historical accounts suggest that opium first arrived in China during the Tang dynasty (618–907) as part of the merchandise of Arab traders. [10] Later on, Song Dynasty (960–1279) poet and pharmacologist Su Dongpo recorded the use of opium as a medicinal herb: " Daoists often persuade you to drink the jisu water, but even a child can prepare the yingsu [A] soup." [11] Benjamin Pui-Nin Mo & E. Leong Way (October 1, 1966). "An Assessment Of Inhalation As A Mode Of Administration Of Heroin By Addicts". Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 154 (1): 142–151. PMID 5924312 . Retrieved June 6, 2007.Karl A. Sporer, M.D. (April 6, 1999). "Acute Heroin Overdose". Annals of Internal Medicine. 130 (7): 584–590. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-130-7-199904060-00019. PMID 10189329. S2CID 22949289. Santella, Thomas M.; Triggle, D. J. (2009). Opium. Facts On File, Incorporated. p.8. ISBN 9781438102139. Eventually, laudanum became readily available and extensively used by the 18th century in Europe, especially England. [33] Compared to other chemicals available to 18th century regular physicians, opium was a benign alternative to arsenic, mercury, or emetics, and it was remarkably successful in alleviating a wide range of ailments. Due to the constipation often produced by the consumption of opium, it was one of the most effective treatments for cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea. As a cough suppressant, opium was used to treat bronchitis, tuberculosis, and other respiratory illnesses. Opium was additionally prescribed for rheumatism and insomnia. [34] Medical textbooks even recommended its use by people in good health, to "optimize the internal equilibrium of the human body". [19]

A little of it, taken as much as a grain of ervum is a pain-easer, and a sleep-causer, and a digester...but being drank too much it hurts, making men lethargical, and it kills. The opium trade under the Chinese Communist Party was important to its finances in the 1940s. [82] Peter Vladimirov's diary provided a first hand account. [83] Chen Yung-fa provided a detailed historical account of how the opium trade was essential to the economy of Yan'an during this period. [84] Mitsubishi and Mitsui were involved in the opium trade during the Japanese occupation of China. [85] Brzezinski, Matthew. "Re-Engineering the Drug Business". The New York Times Magazine, June 23, 2002 The production methods have not significantly changed since ancient times. Through selective breeding of the Papaver somniferum plant, the content of the phenanthrene alkaloids morphine, codeine, and to a lesser extent thebaine has been greatly increased. In modern times, much of the thebaine, which often serves as the raw material for the synthesis for oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and other semisynthetic opiates, originates from extracting Papaver orientale or Papaver bracteatum. One reason for the increase in opiate consumption in the United States during the 19th century was the prescribing and dispensing of legal opiates by physicians and pharmacists to women with "female complaints" (mostly to relieve menstrual pain and hysteria). [34] Because opiates were viewed as more humane than punishment or restraint, they were often used to treat the mentally ill. Between 150,000 and 200,000 opiate addicts lived in the United States in the late 19th century and between two-thirds and three-quarters of these addicts were women. [37]Though opium yields vary based on growing conditions, 2.5 acres (1 hectare) of poppies typically produce between 17.6 and 33 lbs. (8 to 15 kilograms) of raw opium, according to the book " Opium: A History" (St. Martin's Griffin, 1999). Estimated yields of heroin from raw opium are between 6 percent and 10 percent. Thus, the acre of poppies found in North Carolina would yield a little more than 13 lbs. (6 kg) of raw opium and 1.3 lbs. (0.6 kg) of heroin in a full growing season in the best of circumstances. Office of the Commissioner. "Legislation – Controlled Substances Act". Fda.gov . Retrieved January 25, 2017.