Forest of Ecstasy

In the Vanguard video I learned about the illegal production of safrole oil as an ingredient in the drug ecstasy. Criminals would penetrate deep into the Cardomom forest in Cambodia because of the remarkable profit.

The common theme between the opium trade between China and Great Britain in the 19th century and the drug bandits in the Cardomom forest is that the drug trafficking business indirectly hurts other things. In Cambodia the Cardomom forest is now being seen as a new frontier for industrialization by entrepreneurs with dollar signs in their eyes. The criminals are cutting down an average of a ton of wood each day to feed the fires that distill the oil and this deforestation leads to erosion. The safrole production activities also pollute the rivers because the workers have to work next to a source of water. As if deforestation and pollution weren't bad enough, the criminals are also setting snares for animals.

China's economy was indirectly hampered by the opium trade with Britain. Having millions of people addicted to this drug caused a lack of production. China's dependence on Great Britain's exports also meant that there wouldn't be capitalists pioneering change with technology or making China more modern. And the heaviest price China's economy paid as a result of the opium trade was the $21 million they owed Britain after the first opium war.

Another parallel between the drug industries in 19th century China and modern day Cambodia is that a more powerful foreign country was/is very involved. Not only do the foreign powers have influence, but their influence is exploiting the other country's people. The Vietnamese are taking advantage of Cambodians to produce the safrole. They are paying human moles $2.50 a day to lug enormous metal equipment for the little drug camps they set up deep in the forest. Other workers are only paid about $25 dollars a month to manufacture safrole when a liter of this oil would fetch over a thousand dollars in the black market.

Back in the 19th century we read about Great Britain cracking down on China after the Chinese government attempted to ban opium. Britain basically told China, you can't confiscate our good that we traded to you, and proceeded to fight two opium wars against China. Britain's superior navy helped them to win and Great Britain imposed numerous sanctions and allowed Brits in China free reign, along with charging them a hefty fine for fighting.