If you Google the Silk Road, you may find a variety of links giving you information about the online marketplace that facilitated the illegal purchases and trafficking of drugs. But, long before it was an online black market, the Silk Road was an extensive trade route that extended from China to the eastern edge of Europe. Formally established by the Han Dynasty of China around 100 BCE, the route was used for over 1500 years and lasted until 1453 CE. In addition to connecting world trade by enabling cultures to exchange goods and spices, it facilitated the flow and trade of drugs from around the world. The Silk Road, with all of its successes and failures, made it possible for the people on the other side of the world to use addictive substances from somewhere they would never visit.
If you or anyone you know has become a product of this history and are addicted to drugs or alcohol, there is no time to waste. Please call us at Intervention Association to set up a consultation at the ideal drug rehab center for your situation and needs.
The Silk Road, which wasn’t a road but a network of trade route and wasn’t made of silk, was one the trade networks that allowed for the travel of silk, one of the most commonly sold items on the Road. Silk was commonly wore as clothing by the wealthy.
In addition to silk, foods, spices, and goods, drugs like opium were sold on the route. How fitting it was then, that the black market adopted the same name to sell illicit substances all over the world through their website on the dark web.
Opium was originally brought to China in the 7th century by Arab and Turkish traders. The Chinese relationship with the drug didn’t end there though, British colonialists began selling Indian opium to the Chinese who eventually brought it to the United States when they came to build our railroads.
Through years of inadvertent trade, the Silk Road led to the widespread of addictive drugs that we now can’t seem to get rid of. Beginning by making its way through Asia and Europe, opium changed everything when it came to pain relief and recreational drug use. Originally, opium was used as a medicine, but people quickly began abusing it for pleasure. With no help from modern addiction treatment facilities, dependence and addiction increased along with the methods of production, skyrocketing the potency and intensity of the drug exponentially. Opium went from something grown in the ground that could be smoked, to heroin that was injected intravenously, to extremely powerful prescription pill opioids like fentanyl, which acts as an elephant tranquilizer and can kill humans upon ingestion. Opioids have led to a heroin and opiate addiction epidemic that is unprecedented.
If you or anyone you know is addicted to drugs or alcohol, please call Intervention Association immediately to set up a consultation with the ideal addiction treatment center for your needs and requirements.
