Long before Richard Nixon started the “War on Drugs” back in the 1970's (and a hearty congratulations to drugs for winning that war), there was another war on drugs that produced no better results—two wars, in fact, and not in name only, but actual wars. Before we dive into the real Lee Ho Fook's and how all this ties into the fictional opium den featured in Grayhound, we need to know where it all started. The First War on Drugs The first historical war on drugs is a sad disp