Opium started as a pastime of the upper class. Wealthy merchants and government officials smoked it in homes, offices, and brothels with ornate, hand-made pipes. Lower-quality opium would make its way to the less wealthy, who typically partook using communal paraphernalia in hidden dens.

The U.S. entered the China opium trade in the 19th century via Boston firms spearheaded by wealthy elites such as Augustine Heard and brothers John Murray and Robert Bennet Forbes. By the end of the 19th century, it’s estimated that nearly 10 percent of China’s population was addicted to opium.