Online Drug Sales Triple After Silk Road Closure, Says Report (nbcnews.com)

The closure of Silk Road -- a marketplace where internet users could purchase drugs and other illegal goods -- in 2013 has had little to no effect on drug sales. According to a new report from RAND, online drug sales have tripled since the site was shut down. NBC News reports: "Since then, an estimated 50 'cryptomarkets and vendor shops where vendors and buyers find each other anonymously to trade illegal drugs, new psychoactive substances, prescription drugs and other goods and services,' have emerged to fill the void, according to the report. The research, which was commissioned by the Netherlands Ministry of Security and Justice, examined data from January and found dealers in the United States had the largest market share with 35.9 percent, followed by the United Kingdom at 16.1 percent and Australia at 10.6 percent. Marijuana was the top seller in January, accounting for 33 percent of illicit drug sales online, followed by prescription medication at 19 percent and stimulants at 18 percent."

Comments

Marijuana prohibition is a farce

[MrKaos]

It causes less deaths than tobacco and alcohol and prohibition of it is just another form of social control. The absurdity of the 'house of cards' that prohibits it has more negative effects on society than the plant has ever caused and that's before we start looking at the plethora of medical benefits it has.

Take marijuana off the black market and the funding for many other criminal operations will dry up.

Re:Marijuana prohibition is a farce

[MrKaos]

Translation I want to smoke pot. Now let me rationalize it.

No need to rationalize it. People don't rationalize drinking beer, wine or spirits - they do it because they want to. Here is a rationalization for you, I like it, I laugh my ass off and I have a great time.

However as a painkiller that my doctor suggested for having a snapped achillies tendon it was a much better option than liver failure from the oral painkillers I was taking.

Legalize Pot and all other crimes will stop because Pot funds them.

Why are you or anyone else qualified to make value judgements about peoples choices that have no impact on you.

It makes so much money, they FUND other crime. That could all be tax money, deficit solved Thank you.

What it does is criminalizes a lot of people that should not be exposed to the prison system. If you can, for a moment step out of your prejudice and ask yourself if the pot someone is smoking will do them more harm in ten years than a two year prison term will do, six months into it?

Or how much policing for violent crimes a police officer can do if they are not writing up a pot arrest for 3 hours in the station? How much time is taken up in the court system dealing with cases, how many prison officers have to be hired to guard them?

What does it say about a society that has social controls for a plant that has been with humanity for so long that there are receptors in our brain for Cannabinoids?

Re:I guess Law are useless then

[Anonymous Coward]

perhaps we could just end prohibition and use the police and our government to pursue more productive endeavours?