In China, the narcotic had a destructive effect on the local population

The Qing dynasty ruling China tried to have it outlawed which led to the British government declaring war on China and the corresponding humiliating losses in the Opium wars bought China to near ruin and was ransacked by the western powers for their profit. The humiliation in the Opium wars and the inability of the crown to stop the flow of opium into China was the primary reason for the Boxer rebellion and the overthrow of the Qing dynasty.