112: The Opium Wars

We often think of the War on Drugs as beginning some time during the Twentieth Century, either with Harry Anslinger in the 1920s, or Richard Nixon in the 1970s. But the first war against drugs was a war against opium, and it started in the 1700s, turning into a political war between China and England, then again, later, between China and a number of aligned countries, including England. 

In this episode I talk about the roots of the original war on drugs, the Opium Wars, and what they can teach us about the current ongoing war on drugs. 

All music from Pixabay