Bell work - Illegal drug trafficking

• How does the drug trade affect the US?
• Who suffers from the drug trade and who benefits?
• What has the U.S. done to try to prevent drug trafficking?

Opium Wars

WHat is opium?

• The juice of a poppy flower
• Acts like a painkiller (analgesic)
• Narcotic substance
• Can cause dullness or inaction
• Known to "soothe the mind"

THe juice or latex of the poppy flower

Still grown in
Afghanistan today

Westerners gain power

• China only wanted silver from Britain
• Britain wanted many goods from China (Tea, Silk)
• British later began to trade the banned drug opium
• The British would smuggle the drug in to make profit

opium den

Westeners continue to gain power

• Merchants continued to smuggle the drug
• Chinese officials ordered destruction of opium stockpile in Guangzhou
• British forces sent a naval fleet to attack – began the Opium War
• Shanghai captured and the Chinese were forced to sign the treaty of Nanjing

“By what right do they [British merchants] use the poisonous drug to injure the Chinese people? I have heard that the smoking of opium is very strictly forbidden by your country; that is because the harm caused by opium is clearly understood. Since it is not permitted to do harm to your own country, then even less should you let it be passed on to the harm of other countries.” – Lin Zexu

Nanjing treaty

• Unequal Treaty- Benefited Europe at the expense of China
• Gave extraterritoriality to British
• Many more ports were opened up to European trade
• ****21 million dollars to be paid to Britain
• Only had 3 years to pay with annual I.R. of 5% (567 milllion)

Guangzhou