Drugs & Vice

Lyn Ulbricht: The Far Reaching Impact of the Silk Road Case

"Lyn Ulbricht is Ross Ulbricht's mother. Ross was the creator of the Silk Road website, which had a very important role in the history of bitcoin. Currently, Ross is serving a double life sentence without parole for all non-violent charges. Lyn has worked to bring awareness to the case and raise funds for Ross’s defense through www.FreeRoss.org. She has had many media interviews and public appearances and has helped bring awareness to the public of the case and Ross's appeals. Her efforts have shined light into the darkness of the justice system, proving it to be a darker place than anywhere found on the dark web."

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War On Drugs Now Sees FDA Targeting Over-The-Counter Anti-Diarrheals

"In 2006 the FDA put limits on how much pseudoephedrine, a nasal decongestant, you could buy and also required a photo ID to do so. Despite adding a lot of hassle into the treatment of stuffy noses, meth only became more pure. What on earth makes anyone think that going down this same road with loperamide will have any kind of positive benefit?"

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Despite Marijuana Reform, the War on Drugs Still Targets People of Color

"Over 50 people a day are still being arrested for it in New York City alone. Most of those arrests, predictably, are happening in communities of color. The new numbers for New York City’s 2017 marijuana arrests just came out and they hardly budged — arrests declined by about 1 percent, disappointing many advocates and attorneys who took the mayor’s word on this issue."

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Drug lords make billions smuggling gold to Miami for jewelry and phones

"Much of that gold comes from outlaw mines deep in the jungle where dangerous chemicals are poisoning rainforests and laborers who toil for scraps of metal, according to human rights watchdogs and industry executives. In comparison, the U.S. gold supply, mostly mined in Nevada and Alaska, offers stiff competition and regulations. Big companies control the big mines. Smaller companies looking to deal in U.S. gold are restricted to buying recycled 'scrap' gold from pawnshops and jewelry stores. To gain a competitive edge, many U.S. gold traders look south."

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NJ Man Arrested After Purchasing Multiple Gift Cards From CVS

"Mount Olive Township Police were called to the CVS location on Tuesday over 'suspicious activity,' according to a police report. A man later identified as 28-year-old Craig Nakonechny had 'repeatedly' entered and exited the store and ultimately purchased several gift cards. This was somehow enough to trigger a call to the police (it's not clear from whom) and a visit from Officer Anthony Gardner."

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Black helicopters and ‘Ride of the Valkyries’: The war on pot in California

"Still fighting the culture wars, Reagan and his advisers decided early on that marijuana was the biggest drug threat facing the country. And so a couple of years into his first term, federal and California officials came up with a battle plan to target cultivation in the northern part of the state. The phrase 'battle plan' isn’t much of an exaggeration here."

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Montana Prosecutor Declares War On Pregnant Mothers Who Drink

"County Attorney Harris announced the crackdown, saying he will seek protection orders restraining pregnant women from any non-medically prescribed use of illicit drugs or alcohol, and those who violate the orders will be jailed to 'incapacitate' them."

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How the Government Hides Secret Surveillance Programs

"Parallel construction is when law enforcement originally obtains evidence through a secret surveillance program, then tries to seek it out again, via normal procedure. In essence, law enforcement creates a parallel, alternative story for how it found information. That way, it can hide surveillance techniques from public scrutiny and would-be criminals. A new report released by Human Rights Watch Tuesday, based in part on 95 relevant cases, indicates that law enforcement is using parallel construction regularly."

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