The EIC's Opium Trade: Drug Trafficking and Empire

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the East India Company's pivot to opium as a solution to its trade deficit with China. They trace the origins of the poppy in Bengal, the auction system in Calcutta, and the rise of a vast smuggling network along the China coast. The conversation covers key figures like Warren Hastings—who institutionalized the opium monopoly—and Commissioner Lin Zexu, whose crackdown triggered the First Opium War. They discuss the social and moral consequences in both India and China, including addiction, corruption, and the eventual British military intervention. This episode sheds light on how a corporate empire normalized drug trafficking on an industrial scale, shaping geopolitics for generations. #OpiumTrade #EastIndiaCompany #WarrenHastings #LinZexu #FirstOpiumWar #Bengal #Calcutta #Canton #BritishEmpire #ChinaQingDynasty #DrugTrafficking #TradeDeficit #Tea #Silver #FexingoHistory #History #Imperialism #Addiction #RobertClive #BattleOfPlassey Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo