Drugging A Nation

Reproduction of the original: Drugging a Nation by Samuel Merwin

Excerpt from Drugging a Nation: The Story of China and the Opium Curse; A Personal Investigation, During an Extended Tour, of the Present Conditions of the Opium Trade in China and Its Effects Upon the Nation Zine. Though frankly journalistic in tone, the book presents something more than the hasty conclusions of a journalist. During its preparation the author travelled around the world, inquiring into the problem at first hand in China and in England, reading all available printed mat ter which seemed to bear in any way on the sub jcet, and interviewing several hundred gentlemen who have had special opportunities to study the problem from various standpoints. The writing was not begun until this preliminary work was completed and the natural conclusions had be come convictions in the author's mind. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

An "extraordinary" work of spiritual journalism that grapples with the themes of drugs, prisons, politics, and spirituality through Shaw’s personal story (Chicago Tribune), originally published as a series on Reality Sandwich and The Huffington Post. In 2005, Shaw was arrested in Chicago for possession of MDMA and was sent to prison for one year. Shaw not only looks at the current prison system and its many destructive flaws, but also at how American culture regards criminals and those who live outside of society. He begins his story at Chicago’s Cook County Jail, and uses its sprawling, highly corrupt infrastructure to build upon his overarching argument. This is an insider’s look at the forgotten or excluded segments of our society, the disenfranchised lifestyles and subcultures existing in what Shaw calls the “exile nation.” They are those who lost some or all of their ability to participate in the full opportunities of society because of an arrest or conviction for a non-violent, drug-related, or “moral offense,” those who cannot participate in the credit economy, and those with lifestyle choices that involve radical politics and sexuality, cognitive liberty, and unorthodox spiritual and healing practices. Together they make up the new “evolutionary counterculture” of the most significant epoch in human history.

The Opium Wars of the 19th century were a dark chapter in Chinese history, and their effects are still felt today. In this powerful book, Samuel Merwin chronicles his investigation into the opium trade during a trip to China in the early 20th century. His insights into the social and economic impact of opium addiction offer a sobering reminder of the dangers of drug use and the importance of global health initiatives. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

In the twentieth century the Netherlands grew into a major country of trade and production for illegal drugs, supplying the UK and other European countries as well as North America. Using examples from the rich Dutch history of drug smuggling, this book synthesizes historical and criminological case studies and journalistic investigations in order