• knatschus@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      6·
      2 months ago

      Does this cause problems with abuse of medicine in China? Medicine usually is poison admitted in a small portion.

        • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
          6·
          2 months ago

          This is really interesting! Are legal drugs like nicotine and alcohol categorised as poison, medicine, or something else?

          • Meron35@lemmy.worldEnglish
            4·
            2 months ago

            The lack of a difference between the words drug/medicine seems to be more pronounced in US English, where it is common to say terms such as drugstore. In Commonwealth/UK English, the term chemist is more commonly used, and the terms drug/medicine usually have bad/good connotations. I think most would be alarmed if you said you went to the store to pick up some drugs!

            • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
              2·
              2 months ago

              Definitely more of an American thing with terms like “drug store”, but I think if the context is medicine or other non-prohibited stuff then “drugs” is pretty accepted, it just always comes with the joke that you’re nipping down to the chemist’s for some heroin.

      • HobbitFoot English
        12·
        2 months ago

        Europe didn’t have much in raw materials that China wanted and China wouldn’t trade for manufactured goods. So, most trade with China involved silver or gold. In an effort to address this trade imbalance, the British started shipping opium as a way to have another trade good for Chinese export.

        • shawn1122@lemm.eeEnglish
          16·
          2 months ago

          Shipping opium is a light way to put it. The goal was to get the local populace addicted to Indian Opium and to receive payment in silver so that very silver could be used to buy tea.

          The trade imbalance was driven by demand for tea and Britain was willing to have an entire population become addicted to feed that demand, essentially acting as a colonial drug dealer.

          Unfortunately, people from colonial powers rarely learn or reflect on these aspects of their history (though I’m certain it is taught in China and India).