Opium is a highly addictive type of depressant drug which dates back to 3400BC. The opium poppy pods contain a milky substance called latex, which is made up of a number of chemicals such as morphine and codeine. The Latex from the pods is boiled and dried to become opium. Opium has been used throughout history recreationally and as medicine, with historians predicting that opium was likely introduced throughout East Asia in the sixth century A.D. along the Silk Road trade route. The First and Second Opium Wars of the19th century between the British Empire and Qing Dynasty saw the continued spread of opium throughout East Asia. While opium presented the opportunity for a lucrative trading market to many countries, the devastating impact of the addictive substance caused havoc across East Asia as well as throughout the US and Europe.