Message from ppeterson

[Anonymous]

Our lesson on Opium was both intriguing and devastating to me. A great lesson could be put together on researching the similarities between underlined reasons behind the Opium war and the current drug war that exists now in America. This is something I definitely think students would enjoy researching. I personally would love to explore the facts. Is the government really fighting to keep drugs out of America? Does the government benefit from the import and selling of illegal drugs? Is the fight against it real or just a façade to appease the people? Does the government really not have control of what gets imported and exported from the country, or are they the real muscle behind the whole operation? These are great questions that could lead most high school students into desire for conversation and discovery. I think having students first learn the truth behind the Opium War would be great in dispelling some of the inaccurate information they’ve been fed (that I too had been fed), and would offer a great roadway into comparing the elements that underline America’s own drug war.