The Opium Business of Chinese Immigrants in Victoria in the Late 19th Century

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Beginning of the Opium Seizure
Pros and Cons of the Opium Business in Victoria
Role of the Canadian Government in the Opium Problem
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The production and trade of opium brought substantial revenues to the budget of Victoria due to duties and license fees from sellers, which were constantly increasing. However, the other side of the medal was such negative consequences as adverse effects on the population’s health, impoverishment, the spread of racism, and the decline in citizens’ morale. Thus, with the distance of the opium business by Chinese immigrants in Victoria in 1890-1908, the social well-being of citizens was put on the scales in exchange for significant revenues to the budget treasury.

The Beginning of the Opium Seizure

Historically, a narcotic painkiller such as opium has always played an essential role in the politics and economy of a country with which it came into contact. Opium was introduced to Victoria by the Chinese merchant Chong Li in the mid-19th century. By 1884, there were six factories in Victoria, and by 1887, the number of opium factories in Victoria had grown to thirteen, and the demand for opium in Canada continued to grow (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). Thus, opium gained a foothold in the Victorian market as one of the hottest commodities of the day and consequently brought about a shift in the economic focus of production. The legal import of opium into British Columbia peaked in 1891 (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). This year, opium finally became part of the region, both economically and socially. It is noteworthy that opium was abused by the Chinese and Canadians of many other nationalities (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). As mentioned earlier, this drug was highly valued in the world at that time, mainly due to its analgesic effect.

Pros and Cons of the Opium Business in Victoria

On the one hand, the opium business had inevitable positive consequences. In 1891, more than $146,000 in fees were collected, making taxes on the sale of opium a significant part of the budget (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). Despite this, as already mentioned, opium is a drug, and its distribution in any environment will incur losses, maybe not of an economic, but of a social nature. On the other hand, the opium trade created many social, economic and political problems. Firstly, opium undermined human health in mental and physical ways (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). As it is known, opium is a hard drug that is highly addictive, and behind the veil of its pain-relieving properties lies a strong physical dependence and many side effects. Secondly, people who used opium were ready to pawn everything and squander everything they had (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). Thus, opium may have improved the region’s economy, but in this way, it ruined the people and led to poverty. Thirdly, opium was seen as a threat to the body politic as it was considered a form of slavery (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). People could be truly free only if drugs did not bind them.

The physical dependence on the drug is a powerful lever of pressure on the masses, which could be used by the authorities to manipulate people. Fourthly, the opium trade has led to the spread of racist sentiments in society. Moral reformers and the media associate opium smoking with racist men who corrupt righteous white Christians (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). This racism was exacerbated by the economic downturn, when white workers, fueled by fear of unemployment, saw Japanese and Chinese workers as a threat to their jobs. According to Starmans (n.d.), Chinese immigrants were a source of cheap labor, so migration policy was directed at representatives of this nationality. The expansion of the Chinese diaspora in Victoria contributed to the growth of the opium industry. This led to riots in 1907 by white workers against Asians (Starmans, n.d.). Although this flaw can be attributed to the natural xenophobia inherent in every person, one cannot but consider the aggravating factor on the part of opium in this acute social problem.

Role of the Canadian Government in the Opium Problem

The growth of the Chinese population was only one reason for the success of opium production in Victoria; it was also an opium smuggling center on the west coast of Canada. The very presentation of opium, as mentioned above, entailed many social and economic problems, both for the population and for the administration. The Canadian government was aware of the smuggling problem but did little to stop it simply because the trade promoted opium production and thus generated revenue for the government (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). Thus, the government faced a dilemma: the social security of citizens or the replenishment of the treasury with taxes from selling opium. Questions like this are often resolved for a long time since, in this case, the human factor of officials plays a significant role.

Drugs always lead a person down the wrong path, whether it’s the person who uses them or who allows them to be distributed. In any case, the Canadian government eventually imposed restrictions on opium manipulation in the country. As a result, in 1908, a law was passed prohibiting the importation of opium without the permission of the Minister of Customs, as well as the production, sale, or possession of opium in Canada, and the opium factories of Victoria were permanently closed (Opium in Victoria, n.d.). Although this solution cannot be called the most profitable from the economic point of view, it is undoubtedly the right one since such an economical solution caused many of the problems mentioned earlier.

Conclusion

The distribution of opium in Victoria benefited the government, as it brought substantial finance to the budget through taxes on the sale. However, the opium trade was associated with many societal problems, including adverse effects on public health, impoverishment, a decline in citizens’ morale, the spread of racism, and civil unrest. This example clearly shows that it is not worth taking such extreme and destructive measures for society to improve the economic situation. To sum it up, the opium business has brought with it many more problems than benefits for Victoria and Canada. The damage caused by this supposed rescue of the economy was immeasurably significant. It can be assumed that it harmed the country in that historical period and influenced the future.

References

Opium in Victoria. (n.d.). The University of Victoria. Web.

Starmans, B. J. (n.d.). The Juice of the Poppy. The Social Historian. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!

The Opium Business of Chinese Immigrants in Victoria in the Late 19th Century

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)