Imperial China’s drug war battled uphill against powerful traffickers and booming demand – with familiar results. Opium problems in nineteenth century China have been cited as illustrative of the evils of legalising drugs, but are more illustrative of the effects of a ban which lacked popular support and faced powerful traffickers feeding a significant demand. Lack of official control of the market led to widespread corruption and banditry. Later, underdevelopment and political instability underpinned China’s growing home production.
↧