Book review: Raking over the coals of a dark and sinister chapter in British history

The enormous opium supply chains created by Britain were cornerstones of the nascent capitalist system sweeping across the world

Amitav Ghosh draws parallels between the British empire’s opium trade and the opioid epidemic in the US. File picture: Leonardo Cendamo/ Getty Images

• Smoke And Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories 
• Amitav Ghosh 
• John Murray, €21.99