Opium smoking suppression campaigns and the role of anti-opium movements in the Federated Malay States, 1906-1910
This article studies the history of opium smoking and anti-opium movements in Federated Malay States (FMS). By the end of the 17th century, the Chinese community consituted the majority of opium smokers due to the British and Chinese capitalists greed to gain profits through the rapidly grow...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2020
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17094/1/44772-144085-1-SM.pdf |
| Summary: | This article studies the history of opium smoking and anti-opium
movements in Federated Malay States (FMS). By the end of the 17th
century, the Chinese community consituted the majority of opium
smokers due to the British and Chinese capitalists greed to gain profits
through the rapidly growing opium trading. The emergence of anti-opium movements in FMS was triggered by a number of key elements
such as the development of anti-opium movement in Britain and
China, and the spirit of nationalism among local Malayan Chinese
towards their Mainland China which was gradually weakening due
to escalating number of opium problems. Spearheaded by Chinese
capitalists and a few Europeans, the anti-opium movement was
transformed into several anti-opium organizations that carried out
various initiatives to suppress the opium smoking habits. This study
found that the anti-opium movement in FMS had played an important
role in influencing the British government to change its view and
policies on trade and smoking opium habit by 1910. |
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