From opium to opioids: A look at British Columbia’s illicit drug history
VANCOUVER — Hundreds of British Columbians have died from overdoses in recent months, but the powerful painkiller fentanyl isn’t the first drug to spark a crisis in the province. Here’s a look at British Columbia’s history with drugs:
1870s to 1900s:
British Columbia’s first troubles with illicit substances stemmed from racism, not public health concerns, says Neil Boyd, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University.
Chinese workers brought opium with them when they came to build railways in the late 1800s. The substance was legal at the time, with Vancouver, Victoria and New Westminster all home to opium smoking establishments in the 1870s.