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Why Did Ancient Chinese Use Opium?

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Opium was originally used for medicinal uses in Ancient China. The Chinese got from a poppy called the opium poppy. The Ancient Chinese used it to help people sleep and get of pain from battles or sickness. The Chinese trafficked the poppy to Europe which it gained popularity. Opium was the first painkiller. Once the British got hold of it and the Americans in the 18th century. They used opium in the revolutionary to treat the wounded. Opium was a type of dried latex so it was not safe. So in 1874 scientists pulled out a ingredient in the opium poppy called morphine. They used this wide spread from WW1 to modern times. Opium holds all different types of active ingredients which are now illegal like opiates. In modern times opium is now illegal
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Struggling to maintain social order and strength, the Qing Dynasty placed restrictions on opium trade; however, this backfired, provoking retaliation from British traders and leading to a war that would create the Unequal Treaties. The detrimental socio economic effects opium had on China were beginning to surface during the late 1830’s, causing an influx of smokers and a decline in bullion. Although China’s economy suffered, this was the most viable foreign trade option for the British. There was low demand for the cotton the British offered to China, but the increased profits from opium would do more than compensate. Thus, British merchants took various measures to circumvent China’s policies to stop the illicit trade and managed to find

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Britain’s forced introduction of opium in 1825 in China had devastating effects on its population and economy. The people of China express their just displeasure with the British people and its monarchy in documents 1, 2, and 9. In Document 1, a Chinese emperor is addressing the King George of England in 1793 in a letter.

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In this in-depth article, Joshua Fogel discusses the details and importance of opium in China. Published in 2006, “Opium and China Revisited: How Sophisticated Was Qing Thinking in Matters of Drug Control?” takes us back to the nineteenth century and China's relationship with the outside world during the Mao years. Fogel begins by highlighting the significance of the Chinese government and nationalism in China during the 19th and 20th centuries. This then leads to talk of the opium in China and other area of Eurasia including Britain and Japan. Finally, Fogel succeeds in analyzing the studies done by other scholars, but fails to bring any new evidence or arguments in his work.

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What we interpret from the text is that the law has little to do with the dangers associated with illicit (opium) drug usage? Additionally, people use other drugs, alcohol and tobacco (that are a hazard to health too), both privately and publicly are legal. In fact, creating 1908 anti-drug law is a fight between cultures- Chinese and white traders, it is all about economic crises, racism, resolving labor conflicts, satisfying federal government and, pleasing white traders. Most important of all, health issues does not play the significant role in the creation of the 1908 anti-drug law as it does in the present time. The nature of the statute law starts with the ferocity that took place on September 7, 1907.

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The Opium Wars marked a crucial turning point in Chinese history and led to a deep sense of indignation and bitterness, as well as a search for a new sense of identity among the Chinese people. One of the key causes of the Opium War was the trade imbalance between China and Great Britain. The British merchants began importing large quantities of opium into China, leading to widespread addiction and social devastation among the Chinese population. The War itself was sparked by the Chinese government's attempts to curb the importation and use of opium. The war resulted in a decisive British victory, with China forced to sign the Treaty of Tianjin/NanKing, which opened up several Chinese ports to British trade and allowed British missionaries

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Health & Safety Code § 11364 are as follows: (a) It is unlawful to possess an opium pipe or any device, contrivance, instrument, or paraphernalia used for unlawfully injecting or smoking (1) a controlled substance specified in subdivision (b), (c), or (e) or paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 11054, specified in paragraph (14), (15), or (20) of subdivision (d) of Section 11054, specified in subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 11055, or specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 11055, or (2) a controlled substance that is a narcotic drug classified in Schedule III, IV, or V.

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The Chinese had already known about the existence of opium, but did not start smoking it until the habit of snaking tobacco in the Americas spread to China creating addictions that fueled the opium trade and infiltrated imperial troops (www.britannica.com). The current Chinese ruler at the time did try to restrained and limit the trade of the drug, but since the balance of trade for Europe, especially England, had shifted dramatically in their favor (since they became a great fan of silk, porcelain, and tea from China) they were not about to lose their valuable opium trade business (www.britannica.com ). England could not help, but engage in two opium wars with China (the former coming out as victor in both wars), the first led to a pause in prohibiting the drug and the second extinguished the idea of possibly banning it altogether because of that it took many years to pass before India and China came to an agreement to try to stop the sell of opium and even more for people's addictions to disappear (www.britannica.com ). Unfortunately, for China this caused a decline in the economy since the balance shifted from China exporting more than importing to the other way around, it also affected many of the Chinese inhabitants since many of them grew addicted to opium and like any other drug, it took its toll on the person and China's population. Europe, on the other

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Heroin is an opioid drug which is created from morphine. It is a naturally occurring substance removed from the seed of the opium poppy plant. Heroin can appear as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky, tar-like substance. There are a number of ways it can be used such as; injected directly into a vein, injected directly into a muscle, placed on aluminum foil and inhaled as smoke through a straw or stem, or snorted as powder through the nose. All of the ways that heroin is used offer a swift delivery to the brain which offers an almost instant high.

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Restrictions and the Prohibition became a thing and many people in the late 19th and early 20th century were questioning the objections to non-medical usage and it soon became a hot debate. Drugs were used for everyday use within industrial workers and laborers. Drugs today are either known as Licit or Illicit ones because we know which ones are actually okay to use in everyday life and then the ones that hurt people. Caffeine is used today worldwide, and it is legal, but only some of the drugs are this way. We still have the illicit drugs that will always be that way such as cocaine and meth.

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1600 Words | 7 Pages

Chinese leaders felt as though Europe did not have much to offer them, they had all they needed within the borders of China. They also wanted to minimize foreign influence in China after the past Mongol takeover. To overcome this lack of resources from China and gain more of a control over Chinese trade, Britain deliberately introduced opium to the Chinese people which quickly created a population of people dependent on opium and weakened the government, economy and military. By the 1820s and 1830s opium became used by millions of people. This increased Britain's profits and gave them an advantage over China’s

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879 Words | 4 Pages

In 1839, the Chinese government tried to ban opium from a port city called Canton. Columbia University 's article, China and the West, says that, “the Chinese are defeated by superior British arms and which results in the imposition of the first of many “Unequal Treaties.” These treaties open other cities, “Treaty Ports” — first along the coast and then throughout China — to trade, foreign legal jurisdiction on Chinese territory in these ports, foreign control

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631 Words | 3 Pages

Finally in 1868, the drug sales were practically clear, and they could be bought anywhere. During the Industrial Revolution the use of drugs in England grew among the working classes. At every corner in Britain they were selling drugs opium was the drug that was sold the most. Surprisingly the dangerous drugs were commonly done at home making home remedies and they were less frequently as a refreshment for the bored and withdrawn people. During the 17th century addiction was actually considered a practice, it was also called the Roman law which means that a human can be handed over to a master or being passed onto the highest bidder (Victorianweb.org).

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Within the last 22 years, from 1991 to 2013, the prescriptions written by doctors for opioids have increased from 76 million to 207 million. Opioids are a drug class that were developed originally, to treat severe pain for people who are dying of cancer or other severe illnesses. This began when pharmaceutical companies assured the medical community that people would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers. As a result doctors began to prescribe opioids more frequently. There are different kinds of opioids.

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The Opium Wars came from China 's attempts to suppress the trade and consumption f Opium. The first war took place from 1839 to 1842 and the second war was from 1856 to 1860. The Opium wars marked a new beginning in terms of China’s relationship with the west. Regular trade had been going on with the British since the arrival of the Portuguese in the 1600’s. As European economic power rose, Chines goods such as silk, porcelain and tea became highly sought after.

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2046 Words | 9 Pages

They had to undertake many horrendous actions to make sure they weren't found by the communists. For example, they knew that crying children could alert nearby villages of their whereabouts. Therefore, parents drugged them with opium to make them silent or sleep quieter (Pringle). Opium is a narcotic and a highly addictive drug; it is often used in heroin. Oftentimes, children died due to opium overdoses.

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