The drug paradox of Queen Victoria: New book says she ‘loved’ drugs while empire sold opium worldwide

During the reign of Queen Victoria, the British Empire profited heavily from exporting opium from colonial India to China, fuelling addiction and sparking the First Opium War after Chinese official Lin Zexu destroyed large shipments. The episode reveals a stark contradiction between Victorian moral ideals and an empire deeply reliant on the global narcotics trade.

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