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Cannabis Britannica: Empire, Trade, and Prohibition 1800-1928

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This is one of the best academic histories on the subject of cannabis, and I have read many. If you are sick and tired of reading popular conspiracy theories, or books that repeat anecdotal evidence ranging over thousands of years that cannot be substantiated, then this book is for you. It is well-written, easy to digest, and flawlessly researched and footnoted. It looks at the mechanisms of the British Empire, specifically its relationship with India, where Britain learnt a great deal about the intoxicating uses of hemp.

At the start of the nineteenth century, Britain sought to utilise India in the provision of hemp for rope. Indian cannabis cultivators were uncooperative as they already had viable distribution networks for their intoxicants. The British taxed this trade and undertook medical research which revealed promising results. Mills provides great detail on the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report of 1893, and illustrates the ways that cannabis consumption first came to be associated with insanity and illegality. He also analyses the League of Nations' Opium Conferences of the 1920s, which led to cannabis being scheduled alongside opium and cocaine as a dangerous narcotic. This marked the beginning of the modern era of international cannabis control.

Mills treats cannabis as an imperial commodity, rather than a magical plant. He is objective in his appraisal of the subject, neither pro or anti prohibition. His arguments are tight and applied to his research, and do not trail off into the hippie garbage that typifies much writing on cannabis. Mills' trade is history not polemics, and he leaves space for the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The book is full of interesting and surprising insights and incidents, not only about cannabis. Scholars who are interested in British imperial history, nineteenth century India, or the machinations of the League of Nations will find great value in this book. An academic yet accessible history, this book is one of a kind.