Opium's Orphans is the first full history of drug prohibition and the 'war on drugs'. A no-holds-barred but balanced account, it shows that drug suppression was born of historical accident, not rational design. The war on drugs did not originate in Europe or the US, and even less with President Nixon, but in China. Two Opium Wars followed by Western attempts to atone for them gave birth to an anti-narcotics order that has come to span the globe. But has the war on drugs succeeded? As opioid deaths and cartel violence run rampant, contestation becomes more vocal, and marijuana is slated for legalization, Opium's Orphans proposes that it is time to go back to the drawing board.

About the Author
P. E. Caquet is an Associate at Hughes Hall, Cambridge, and his books include The Orient, the Liberal Movement, and the Eastern Crisis of 1839-41 (2016) and The Bell of Treason: The 1938 Munich Agreement in Czechoslovakia (2018).


Book Information
ISBN 9781789145588
Author P. E. Caquet
Format Hardback
Page Count 440
Imprint Reaktion Books
Publisher Reaktion Books