Opium: From Ancient Empires to Latin America and Afghanistan - Research Paper

Introduction

Opium is a narcotic drug derived from opium poppy seed used for medicinal purposes when taken in low quantities. Today the plant is grown in Latin American countries like Colombia and Arab countries like Afghanistan. The use of opium dates back to the times of early empires where it was used as a pain reliever and later on for recreational purposes. The Romans used opium for medicinal purposes like pain-relieving and to help with sleeping. The recreational use involved the smoking of the drug to relieve stress and for relaxation purposes. The use of the drug is very critical due to its addictive aspect that can result in harm to a user. The commercialization of opium was due to the high demand of its users. In the paper, we examine how the trade-in opium developed in china and its consequences in the 18th century.

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History of the Opium Trade in China

The development of opium trade dates back to the 16th century, with the Portuguese being the first start trading in opium with the Chinese (Derks, 34). But, the use of the drug in china dates back to the 6th and 7th centuries, where it was used for pain and to help people sleep. The Portuguese were the first people to start trading in opium when they realized how the Chinese valued opium for medicinal and recreational use. However, its effect from addiction became many, causing deaths and erosion of Chinese culture, the use of opium for recreational purposes in the 17th century (Budetti, 26.). No imports of the drug were allowed into the country from outside the country; the only use of opium was for medical use.

On the other hand, the British East India Company, which had headquarters in India, had just realized how lucrative the trade in opium was. The Company was exchanging opium for other trade goods, which were in demand back in India (Derks, 42). The Company was also in trade with China; the Company was acquiring silk tea and other commodities from the Chinese and, in return, paid for the goods in silver. Knowing how lucrative the trade in opium was back in India, the Company started smuggling the drug into Southern Provinces of China (Lovell, 62). The Company decided to use dope as another means of payment for the goods they were getting from China. useThis was as a result of the concern by the British population of the amount of silver they were exporting to china (Budetti, 31).

The commercialization of opium trade in china was encouraged by opium dens that were in existence after the abolishment of its use in the 17th century. These opium dens provided places where the product was bought and sold to those people who needed the opium for recreational purposes. These dens acquired the drug from factories, which processed the opium on behalf of the Company (Budetti, 47). With the business very lucrative, the Company increased its supply of opium from its plantations back in India. The trade of opium was made successful by these opium dens already established, which provided the market for the drug. Also, the availability of vast plantations where the plant was grown in India assured the British of the supply of opium to the new market they find.

The Laws at Canton

In Canton, the Chinese had laws that protected their trade from foreign influence. Foreign merchants were not allowed to move into cities that were not in the southern districts, which were near the shore (Budetti, 52). Also, the laws at Canton did not allow foreigners to own trading posts; they were to use trading posts that the Chinese authorities allocated for their use. The rules were seen as unfavorable by foreign merchants and hence played a considerable role in the opium wars between the Chinese and the British (Alexander,381).

The Organization of the Opium Trade in China

The organization of the business was in a triangular system, where the opium was grown and harvested in India, then transported through Britain and then smuggled into china (Lovell,164). With the British Company being in control of India as one of its colonies, the Company was able to acquire as vast plantations of land where it grew the opium that it traded with other goods (Derks, 73). The Indians were to grow and harvest the opium, which the Company then transported to London. The drug was transported to China as part of these goods since the Chinese government had banned opium importation. On reaching the southern provinces where the Company had a trading post, the opium brought illegally into the country (Derks, 79). The dope moved to the factories where supply to the markets that needed the drug. The guise of trading in other commodities provided the best cover for the Company to continue edits activities since opium trade was illegal in China.

Factors That Led to the Success of the Trade

Several conditions in India, Britain, and china made the trade-in opium to be a lucrative business for the Company. In India, the country was a colony of the British crown, which gave the British East India Company the mandate to rule on its behalf. Having a complete authority, the Company controlled all the activities in India, including agriculture and trade. Having full authority allowed vast parcels of land to be at the disposal of the Company, which the Company used to plant plantations of opium (Derks, 83). These plantations assured the Company of the supply of the drug that they needed for their trade.

The already established trading relationship between the Company and china enabled the trade in opium to succeed even though it was illegal. The Company had a trading post south of china, where goods such as silk and tea were acquired and then transported back to Europe (Budetti, 118). The trade-in legal goods gave the cover he Company needed to smuggle opium into china since its use was illegal in china. The Company could smuggle the drug into China together with other trading commodities claiming it was part of the goods they were to store in their warehouses.

A monopoly of trade by the Company ensured that it was the only supplier of the opium. Other merchants were not allowed to trade in china until the 1840s when the companies' monopoly was abolished (Budetti, 127). The solely permitted copyright allowed the Company to smuggle the opium into china without the detection of the Chinese authority. The Company was in control of how much drug they brought into china without bringing suspicion to themselves. The Company took control of the trade of opium by pushing out the local businesses that were also in the trade. With total control of the supply, the Company was able to influence the amount to the various factories that were distributors of the drug. It is only after the companies' monopoly abolishment that other merchants also engaged in the trade of opium, which made the Chinese government take notice (Budetti, 135).

The availability of opium dens in China also contributed to the success of the trade. The Chinese were users of opium for medicinal and recreational purposes even before the Portuguese had arrived in their country. Opium dens were the market for the drug brought from India to China after its processing in the factories. Demand for opium in these dens assured the Company of a market for the opium which they brought from India. With the demand high and the supply also available, the trade then grew tremendously.

The Opium Wars

When the Company lost its monopoly to control trade in the shores of China in 1839, there was increased smuggling of opium by private merchants. These merchants had seen how the trade-in opium was very lucrative because of its high demand in China (Morris, 2). The British East India Company lost its trade monopoly to allow free trade between China and other traders who were visiting the Chinese border (Lovell, 182). Even though business was open, opium was not legal in china hence the smuggling of the drug into China. Many merchants started smuggling opium into China to share in the profits that others were getting from this trade.

The smuggling of opium into china reached a level in which the Chinese authorities took notice and became concerned with the number of deaths from addiction. The Chinese government then decided to take action (World drug report, 2). The emperor (Qing) then appointed Lin Zexu to wipe out the illegal trade of opium, whose use for recreational purposes was already unlawful. Lin, who was against opium use in China, started work to seize all the dope that was smuggled into China by foreign merchants who the Chinese authorities knew as the ones responsible for the illegal trade (World drug report, 3).

The British were disrespecting Chinese laws, they regarded the Chinese laws as inferior and the Chinese people as inferior who were supposed to be under the rule of the British (Morris,

3). The British merchant traders in Canton on their part saw the interest of the British as superior, and no regard for Chinese welfare was necessary. The blame for the cause of harm to the health of the Chinese population was not on the British merchants instead of the Chinese people themselves. The British officials had no respect for the Chinese government that was in place; they felt the Chinese laws should apply to the Chinese only and exempt the British.

Triggers of 1st Opium War

Having the backing of the emperor, Chinese officials led by Lin started destroying the opium smuggled into China, beginning with the southern provinces. The officials seized the drug from foreign factories and even went further to hold the foreigners in their factories until they released the opium (Bonk, 238). The British were made angry by these actions and called for retaliation by their government. The Company, which was still in operation in China, then brought soldiers from India to fight for the British merchants. With the British claiming to defend free trade and the Chinese authorities having concerns with how the people were being affected by opium, the war began in 1840. The Chinese saw the reluctance of the British officials to act to stop the illegal trade of opium into china (Alexander, 381). With every call for action, the Chinese met with little help from the British and hence the decision to use force.

Justification for the War

The British had no cause to go to war with the Chinese, but the British officials came up with a rationale for their actions. The British officials created justifications for them to use military action in retaliation to what Lin had done.

The British traders were acting per the laws of the free market in their trade (Su, 46). The British argued that they could not force the Chinese people to stop taking the opium at their own time. The people had to make their personal choice whether to buy the drug or not; they, on their part, only brought the trading commodity to the market. Also, the Chinese were not purchasing the opium from the British; instead, they got their drug from the opium dens owned by fellow Chinese men (Su, 46).

The British factories were in operation under the approval of the British government even though unofficially (Su, 47). The British officials saw the actions of Lin as a disregard for their authority that the crown had given them. The British did not see themselves as under the Chinese laws but, preferably under the law of the British monarch. The British monarch, who had approved of their trade, did not see any concern with actions by the Company. The British merchants could not stop trading on the orders of the Chinese authorities, and only the crown was to order them to cease from any activity (Su, 47). Since the British monarch had given the Company the mandate to act on its behalf, the Company was under Chinese. Any action against the Company was seen as an action against the crown back in Britain.

If the Chinese were allowed to stop the trade, it was goin...