At the end of the 19th century, the Dutch state introduced the so-called ‘opium-regime’ in the Dutch East Indies. Private trade in opium was banned and the state established a monopoly over its manufacture and sale. They hoped to eliminate the smuggling of the drug and to gain more control over its use and quality. Trade in opium was after all very profitable. This box contains opium wrappers guaranteeing both the quality and the amount.