• test113@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    oh yeah for sure could be a reaction to the opium wars

    It’s never the drugs that make a society erode; it’s a symptom. If you have a big drug problem in a country, most likely it’s related to much bigger issues at the core. Like in the Opium Wars, it was the British Empire that basically drugged China as a means to get what they want. It’s not like they discovered drugs and then just stopped doing anything else; we humans had drugs and used drugs since we know about them.

    Some argue this tactic is still very much in use today, hence the fentanyl crisis, which seems to be fueled by China. It’s a destabilizing tactic. That’s also part of why China and other Asian countries are so strict because they know firsthand the effectiveness of literally drugging your foe to gain an advantage. This does not mean China and co do not have their own drug market; they have a pretty vivid drug scene.

    Also, as an example, Japan or China, yeah, sure, you can’t buy weed; they will basically curb-stop you legally. But you can drink as much alcohol as you want, smoke as much tobacco as you want, and drink as many caffeine drinks as you want. These are all recreational drugs with a much higher impact on society than weed, yet they are totally legal and accepted by everyone or are even traditional.

    • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      It’s not like they discovered drugs and then just stopped doing anything else;

      Except that is what did happen during Qing Dynasty’s rule. You would do better by watching Nathan Rich’s Epic China series, by far the most educational series/documentary on Imperial China history. I cannot think of any media outside China that has done a job as authentic and good as him, and his work has yet only covered since ancient China upto the first Opium War by 8 Nation Alliance. It is still in progress.

        • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
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          10 months ago

          The initial trade was only for purposes of opening up China for global trade, and to create vulnerability to exploit and colonise, like neighbour India was colonised for 200 years. Britishers consistently stated the need for “laissez faire” trade for a reason.

          The reason why a second opium war happened was that the first one was merely lost, and the 8 Nation Alliance failed to fully colonise. Infact, some ports and provinces of China were given/gifted to European powers during this time, and withdrawn back after the wars.