For several weeks I have tried to write about this increasingly destructive menace, but other pressing subjects have postponed it. Come with me to the 19th century, to China under the Qing dynasty. The Europeans were losing silver (money) to China owing to trade deficits with China for luxurious goods such as porcelain, silk, and tea. The British East Indian Company expanded opium farming in India and sold them through smugglers in China.
What is opium? Opium is a plant from which the powerful painkillers morphine & codeine, are obtained. Heroin is made from morphine. Fentanyl, the most powerful opioid, is 50-100x more potent than morphine. Whereas opium was used to relieve pain & suffering previously in China, they were now being smoked for recreation. Expectedly, the Chinese were becoming addicted to the drug, became immoral, diseased, lazy, & poorer. Through the opium addiction, Chinese society was breaking down and a lot of silver (money) was now being lost by China to Europe. To avert this economic and social catastrophe, the Qing dynasty banned the trade of opium and further confiscated loads of opium held by the British East Indian company in Canton (Guangzhou).
In retaliation, the British government attacked & defeated China (1840-42), forcing the Chinese Emperor to lease lands & trading posts such as Hong Kong, Canton, Ningbo, Shanghai, etc. The opium trade was legalized & Britain was given special trading concessions. This began the “100 years of humiliation” & “unequal treaties” in Chinese history. (Standen, 2012) However, the effect of the opium trade became apparent & the Chinese were unwilling to keep the treaties. Why, because they were being forced to destroy their own people with drugs…
In the 1850s, the Qing dynasty was confronted by a rebellion & protracted civil war due to anger over foreigners in China. Some Chinese soldiers arrested some Chinese on a British ship & lowered the British flag. Taking advantage of this & already angry over China’s unwillingness to open up their interior to trade, they renewed hostilities. The French also used the excuse that a French missionary had been killed in interior China to join the war: this became the 2nd opium war, which concluded in 1860.
This 2nd and last opium war weakened the Qing dynasty, opening up further rebellions and overthrowing the Chinese monarchy in the 20th century. Communist China was then founded after the collapse of the Qing dynasty. The Western powers (including the United States) obtained unfettered trading rights & access to interior China. Missionaries were allowed into China freely. The British gained more islands from China & opium imports were allowed…
This unfortunate treatment of China is important to understand the current opioid crises in the West, particularly in the United States. Now, the tables are turned, and China is making and supplying fentanyl, the strongest opioids, through Mexico to the US…The effect of these opioid drugs will be addressed in Opium War II.
“Numerous resources are available to offer assistance for individuals grappling with addiction, catering to those who seek the necessary support to overcome their challenges.”
