Drugs & Vice

Firm says online gambling accounts for almost half of all Bitcoin transactions

"It's no secret that online gambling has been lucrative for a few pioneering companies. Even though it's been illegal in the US since 2006, companies have made relatively large sums serving customers who are either placing bets outside the US, through a VPN, or by simply sending a Bitcoin amount to a fixed address corresponding to a “game” which will return a player's money with various probabilities. One of the biggest Bitcoin gambling sites, SatoshiDice, stays on the up-and-up with US regulators by blocking IP addresses coming to its site from the US, but in January 2013 it reported ฿33,310 in profits in 2012, which at the time reflected $596,231 (although today it would reflect much more)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFirm says online gambling accounts for almost half of all Bitcoin transactions

Police Crackdown at Burning Man Alarms the Community

"Workers and volunteers who arrived early to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for the annual art, self-reliance, and free-expression event called Burning Man are reporting an unprecedented police presence on the playa, and whispers of a police crackdown on the event are spreading. Burning Man has historically been a peaceful event with little to no incidents that would merit increased law enforcement. For example, at last year’s event, which had more than 52,000 attendees, a total of four drug-related arrests were made and 13 nonviolent misdemeanor citations were given (in lieu of arrests) according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. No violent crimes were recorded." Continue reading →

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Why are sales of non-alcoholic beer booming?

"For one thing, people are more aware than before of the damaging effects of alcohol. And better technology means that it is tastier than before, Mr Durkan claims. One chunk of the market is taking off for other reasons. The Middle East now accounts for almost a third of the worldwide sales by volume of non-alcoholic beer. In 2012 Iranians drank nearly four times as much of it as they did in 2007. It is popular in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where alcohol is either wholly or partially banned. Partly this is for religious reasons. But it also taps into growing consumer aspirations. As a statement of a globalised lifestyle beer, even if non-alcoholic, may be more potent than Coca-Cola." Continue reading →

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Vermont Completely Nullifies Federal Hemp Ban

"Vermont has become the most recent state to take a stand against the federal government and nullify the federal ban on hemp cultivation. Governor Shumlin signed the new bill into law in June. Vermont is actually the 9th state to lift the ban on hemp, and 20 states have introduced industrial hemp legislation for the 2013 legislative season. However, what makes Vermont unique is that the new law does not hold a stipulation or amendment requiring the federal government to first lift the ban on hemp cultivation. Much like Colorado, Vermont will proceed regardless of the federal law banning hemp cultivation." Continue reading →

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DEA Bans Security Companies, Armored Cars From Serving Pot Dispensaries

"Less than two weeks after Attorney General Eric Holderannounced plans for sweeping drug sentencing reform to help fix a 'broken system,' the Drug Enforcement Administration has ordered security and armored vehicle companies to quit serving state-legal cannabis providers, according to industry sources. Armored vehicles allow California's legal medical marijuana dispensaries a secure way to transport large amounts of cash. The services are critical, since federal authorities pressured banks and credit card companies to stop servicing the pot industry in 2011." Continue reading →

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10 Shocking Examples of Police Killing Innocent People in the “War on Drugs”

"In a democratic republic, the 'innocent until proven guilty' concept is supposed to be sacrosanct. Jurors, police officers, judges and prosecuting attorneys—at least in theory—are required to err on the side of caution, and if a guilty person occasionally goes free, so be it. But with the war on drugs, the concept of innocent until proven guilty has fallen by the wayside on countless occasions. The war on drugs is not only fought aggressively, it is fought carelessly and haphazardly, and a long list of innocent victims have been killed or maimed in the process. Below are 10 innocent victims who became collateral damage and lost their lives in the war on drugs." Continue reading →

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Kathryn Johnston shooting – Wikipedia

"Kathryn Johnston was an elderly Atlanta, Georgia, woman who was killed by undercover police officers in her home where she had lived for 17 years. Three officers had entered her home in what was later described as a 'botched' drug raid. Officers cut off burglar bars and broke down her door using a no-knock warrant. One of the officers planted marijuana after the shooting. Later investigations found that the paperwork stating that drugs present at Johnston's house, which had been the basis for the raid, had been falsified. The officers later admitted to having lied when they submitted cocaine as evidence claiming that they had bought it at Johnston's house." Continue reading →

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SWAT Cop: American Neighborhoods Are ‘Battlefields’

"This battlefield mindset is the product of a generation of politicians telling police that they're at war with things -- drugs, terrorism, crime, etc. -- and have then equipped them with the uniforms, tactics, weapons, and other accoutrements of war. One essay by Sgt. Glenn French was particularly disturbing. French serves as commander of a SWAT team in Sterling Heights, Michigan. French doesn't criticize me for arguing that too many police officers have adopted this battlefield mindset. Rather, he embraces the combat mentality, and encourages other cops to do the same." Continue reading →

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Man dead after police called for help taser, choke & drag him down a staircase

"Michael Angel Ruiz had a history of drug addiction. On July 28, for reasons unknown, he climbed onto the roof of his apartment. Witnesses called the police to protect his safety. This turned out to have been a fatal decision. First they tased him several times on the roof. He finally complied and hopped down. Cops immediately swarmed him and put him in a choke-hold. He remained in a choke-hold for at least three minutes. Michael Ruiz, now fully restrained, was dragged down the concrete stairs on his face. They allowed his head to dangle and thump against every stair. Video shows him lifelessly suffering head trauma on the descent down the stair case." Continue reading →

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Poll Finds Few Think We’re Winning War on Drugs

"Four decades after President Richard Nixon ushered in the modern war on drugs, fewer than one out of 20 Americans think it is being won, according to a new poll. A Rasmussen Reports poll released on Sunday found that only 4% of respondents believe that the US is 'winning' the war on drugs. Some 82% said it is 'losing.' 'Americans continue to overwhelmingly believe that the so-called war on drugs is failing, but they are more divided on how much the United States should be spending on it,' Rasmussen concluded. The Rasmussen poll also revealed a public deeply divided over what to do about it." Continue reading →

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