abstract
| - Spice mining was a very dangerous job. Kessel had no natural atmosphere and factories on the surface created air; however, the air was still too thin to breathe without an oxygen mask. Spice was activated by light, forcing workers to work in complete darkness or under dim, red lights that lacked photons energetic enough to trigger it. Along with the obvious dangers of energy spiders, glitterstim threads were very sharp, and could easily remove digits if the worker was not careful. The Galactic Empire attempted to keep a tight rein on the circulation of the various forms of spice, making it a frequent item for smuggling. It must be noted, though, that various forms of spice had medicinal uses—not every form of spice was addictive, or even illegal. Most forms of spice were collected raw, then processed and refined. Some forms of spice were produced completely synthetically, without the use of any kind of natural material. Many organizations, and planets, took on this enterprise, notably the Hutts. Spice was known to have gained widespread use since the days of the Galactic Republic, even before 4000 BBY. In 13 ABY, Lando Calrissian bought the spice mines of Kessel. The illegal spice market was virtually destroyed as a result of the Yuuzhan Vong War. With the Hutts attempting to fight off the Yuuzhan Vong, their contacts were stripped of their connection. Many people were forced to confront their addictions, and spice all but lost its worth. By at least 130 ABY, the spice trade had been rebuilt.
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