POD 136: Patrick Phillips on the Japanese conspiracy to distribute opium laced cigarettes in China

In this episode I talk with tobacco researcher Patrick Phillips about his new book "Tobacco of the Emperor" which investigates the history of Japanese cigarettes and other tobacco products. We discuss historical claims of etorphine-laced cigarettes, the opium wars, and the curiously under-researched (at least in English?) claim that millions of Chinese people were tricked into opiate addition with opium-laced Golden Bat cigarettes.

Patrick Phillips is a tobacco researcher and militaria collector who served as a combat engineer in the US army. After leaving the army, he attended nursing school and currently works as a registered nurse in Missouri. His book Tobacco of the emperor is a comprehensive analysis of the history of Japanese tobacco.

TOBACCO OF THE EMPEROR: A Guide to Imperial Japanese Cigarettes, Pipes, Matches & Accessories - by Patrick Phillips

Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression

Kenji Doihara: Japanese General and Convicted War Criminal

Kenji Doihara: Beyond the Surface!

How Imperial Japan Created a Vast Drug Empire to Destroy China

The Japanese cigarette brand that was weaponised against Chinese smokers in wartime