By limiting the sale of opium to qualified pharmacists, the British government attempted to bring the rapid use of opium under control. The addictive qualities of the drug were linked to the Chinese population in the East End. In 1883, Methodist Recorder published the article, “Opium Smoking in London” by Rev. George Piercy, in which he urged the Victorian reader to examine the changes in their metropolis, with then “…six or eight schools for opium smoking, the presiding spirits in each being hardened opium-sodden Chinamen, confirmed smokers themselves, and earning their livelihood by teaching others also…”