Illegal drugs in the 19th century

[Majesty Apollo]

Whilst cracking on with a short story today I hit a wall in my plot storyline. The story is set in the 19th century and it involves a ship smuggling illegal drugs into England...

But then it struck me that such drugs mightn't have been discovered by this time, and if they had they mightn't have even been illegal yet!
Since I have not specified a particular drug on the ship as of yet this is open to anything, but I'm failing badly at the research.

So, in the best possible way, is anyone interested in illegal drugs? ;)

[Cogito]

You might want to read up on the Opium Wars

[Gallowglass]

Not many drugs were 'illegal' - Queen Victoria liked a puff of cannabis every now and then. I suppose the only drugs that were in any way taboo would be opium and alcohol, and the latter only amongst the upper classes who claimed to have standards (in particular illegally distilled whisky from Gaelic Scotland - the government put a lot of money into castles and laws to destroy the industry throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, ever since James the Seventh became King of England as well as Scotland in 1603).

[sirhoot]

...ever since James the Seventh became King of England as well as Scotland in 1603).

James the 7th? It seems you've added an extra James in the lineage. James the 6th of Scotland and 1st of England would match every source I've ever read following Elizabeth 1st's death.