American consumption of opium has risen over…

American consumption of opium has risen over fourfold from the 1840s to the 1890s, and the number of addicts peaks at 313,000 in 1896.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, various "undesirables" such as gamblers and prostitutes begin to be associated with the use of opiates, and narcotics become identified more with the so-called criminal element than with medical therapy.

Tabloids owned by William Randolph Hearst publish stories of white women being seduced by Chinese men and their opium to invoke fear of the 'Yellow Peril', disguised as an "anti-drug" campaign.

The United States Congress, in its earliest law-enforcement legislation on narcotics, imposes a tax on opium and morphine.