British forces raised the Union Jack over Possession Point in 1841 during the First Opium War, fought to protect the Queen's trade of the narcotic.

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In 1839, the first Opium War between China and Britain began when British frigates blew up several Chinese junks off Canton after coming under attack.

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Another obstacle to the opium war in Badakhshan is the fact the West has given authorities only 10 tractors with which to eradicate nearly 5, 000 acres of poppies.

NPR: Teams Focus on Poppy Eradication in Afghanistan

Coming upon this scene, as I did in one valley, it was easy to believe a latter day Opium War was underway though the big guns stayed silent in the end.

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It is almost 125 years since authorities in San Francisco launched an early salvo in the western war on drugs by clamping down on opium use among the growing population of Chinese labourers.

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As Mr. Platt notes, the Second Opium War (1858-60), which culminated in British and French forces winning important diplomatic concessions from the dynasty, took place alongside the Taiping Uprising.

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Xie Jin's The Opium War, was released to coincide with the end of colonial rule in Hong Kong.

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The Taliban are also able to fund their war with opium, a product that will always be in demand.

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But U.S. officials insist they can win this war especially with the help of provincial governors like the one in Badakhshan, a province where opium cultivation has plummeted.

NPR: Teams Focus on Poppy Eradication in Afghanistan