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Queen Victoria was the world's biggest and most muderous drug kingpin [1]

['Ellsworth Toohey']

Date: 2025-08-28

Queen Victoria, the long-reigning British monarch, had a surprising side hustle: she was arguably the biggest drug dealer in history. A new book by Sam Kelly, Human History on Drugs, reveals the young queen's pivotal role in the opium trade that dwarfed modern cartels.

Victoria ascended the throne at 18, inheriting a nation addicted to Chinese tea. Desperate to balance trade, Britain turned to opium grown in India. Under Victoria's reign, opium exports to China skyrocketed, accounting for up to 20% of the empire's revenue. When China tried to halt the influx, Victoria launched the First Opium War in 1839, slaughtering tens of thousands of Chinese, making the cartels of today look like street corner dealers.

The queen wasn't just a dealer; she was a user. Kelly reports in Time magazine that Victoria regularly consumed laudanum, cocaine-laced wine, and cannabis for various ailments. During childbirth, she inhaled chloroform for 53 minutes, calling it "delightful beyond measure." Historian Tony McMahon said, "Queen Victoria, I think by any standard, she loved her drugs."

Victoria's drug empire operated with impunity, free from legal consequences. As Kelly notes, "She didn't have to worry about being thrown in prison because everyone with the authority to punish drug crimes was already on her payroll."

Previously:

• Queen Victoria in her goggles

• Inspector of the Dead, a Victorian era thriller with an opium-addicted hero

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/08/28/queen-victoria-was-the-worlds-biggest-and-most-muderous-drug-kingpin.html

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