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The first loss of freedom: early opium laws in Australia
Author(s) -
Manderson D.R.A.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
australian drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0819-5331
DOI - 10.1080/09595238880000751
Subject(s) - opium , nothing , legislation , law , addiction , politics , political science , philosophy , medicine , epistemology , psychiatry
The article considers opiate usage and legislation in nineteenth century Australia, focusing on the contrast with contemporary laws controlling drugs of addiction. It then goes on to consider the first laws which prohibited the use of a particular drug for non‐medicinal purposes, concluding that the origins of the opium prohibition laws had nothing to do with the health risks involved with drug use or dependence, but were rather a reflection of racism and a consequence of political expediency.