Opium Production After Opium WarOpium Production After Opium War

Map Creator: Jinyeong Yim '19

Cultivated from pre-historic times, opium is arguably the oldest and most widely used narcotics. Historical records indicate that uses of opium had various purposes, such as food, medicine, and ritual. As more people acknowledged what opium can do, the market of opium expanded immensely in the international community. Opium gained key importance for generating high profits within the commodity chain as people started to perceive opium as a commodity. In this map, I attempt to demonstrate the trend of production of opium around the world. after Opium War. Major opium production and cultivation have three main stages after Opium War: India, Colombia, and Afghanistan. Rather than marking three countries on the map, I constructed a timeline, so the viewer can understand how opium productions were conducted around the world.