After Britain, the country that benefited the most from the China trade—and, therefore, the global traffic in opium—was none other than the United States. And in the United States, unlike in Britain, it is well-established that the beneficiaries included many of the preeminent families, institutions, and individuals in the land.
China was forced to become addicted. The US did it to itself.
People forget that the US benefitted greatly from forcing opium on China.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/american-old-money-opium-trade-fortunes/
I will fight you on that.
The US was subjected to opioids the exact same way the Chinese were.
Powerful capitalists fucking throwing it at people to get them addicted.
What’s funny is you can argue that the US forced the US to become addicted to opioids as well.
the US did it to itself 2x: first with tobacco and then with opioids.