In the 17th century, many people in Europe were treated for a variety of health problems with opium. In 1729, opium smoking was made illegal in China and soon the importation of opium was banned. This ban upset the British who were in charge of trading this valuable product. Opium was still smuggled into China and this caused the "Opium Wars" (1839-1842 and 1856-1860) between the British and the Chinese.

Cocaine looks like a white crystalline powder. It is often sold in aluminum foil, plastic/paper packets, or small vials. The cocaine that is distributed on the street in two main forms: powder cocaine and crack cocaine. Crack is cocaine hydrochloride that has been processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water into a freebase cocaine — chips, chunks, or rocks. On the illicit market, crack is sold in small, inexpensive dosage units.

In the 1950s the American and German armies were interested in psychotropic agents; MDMA was among the tested substances.

When posed the question, “Who’s using heroin?” the answer may not be what one would expect. An epidemic of heroin use over the past five years crosses generational, socioeconomic and geographic boundaries to plague all areas of American culture. Heroin, once a drug primarily associated with aging inner-city addicts, has become popular among suburban and rural populations, and is used by adults and adolescents.