The myth of the ‘Drug Pusher’
In Puberty Blues (the book, not the movie or TV show), there is a classic line where the protagonist’s mother warns her not to sit on the aisle at the movie theatre because “some pusher might come along and jab god-knows-what into your arm”. Growing up I was always being warned about malevolent people who […]
Interview with a (virtual) drug tsar
“We will be an adversary not to be trifled with. We have big plans for Atlantis, and we’re here to stay.”. As online drugs marketplace Silk Road sustains blows from an ongoing attack its owner says “appears to be DoS in nature,” the forums are awash with queries, rumours and speculation about newcomer, Atlantis Marketplace. […]
Red Pill, Blue Pill or No Pill?
The most successful Australian vendor on Silk Road has conned their customers out of tens of thousands of dollars Aussie vendor EnterTheMatrix had a simple and effective business model. Purchase Australia’s most popular party drugs from overseas vendors on Silk Road, add a 400% markup and resell them to Aussie Silk Road customers. Although there were […]
Shadh1 – penalised for not propping up Aussie organised crime?
If small-time drug dealer shadh1 had purchased his drugs from Australians, his jail term would be less than half what he received. As a drug dealer, shadh1 was really really bad at his job. One of the key performance indicators is an ability to stay off the radar of law enforcement authorities, who are obliged […]
A response to Vexnews
Last week, after one of my articles was unexpectedly submitted into evidence in court, an odd little online publication called Vexnews published a vicious, bizarre and inaccurate attack on me. I said I wasn’t going to give it any oxygen in my last post, but I really think it should be pulled apart for the […]
Agony over Ecstasy
I haven’t yet written a background blog to my latest Fairfax Feature, Dancing With Molly. If you happen to have come to my page as a result of that article, please have a quick look at a couple of relevant earlier posts: Crap analysis shows wee problem with tough ecstasy laws – what happens when […]
What the hell’s going on at Silk Road?
For two weeks, users of online drugs marketplace Silk Road have been unable to log in to the site more often than not, reporting timeouts, missing catchpas and other technical difficulties. Millions of dollars in Bitcoin has been inaccessible to the site’s thousands of members and trading has halted. The reactions of the community have […]
Is Silk Road’s owner jumping ship?
Is Silk Road’s owner – The Dread Pirate Roberts – sailing off into the sunset with wads of cash? Has he sold Silk Road as a going concern and included the goodwill of his name and reputation in the price?
Crap analysis shows wee problem with tough ecstasy laws
Yesterday the Australian Institute of Criminology released a report that independently verified what they had already been told by users themselves: when ecstasy is not available, recreational drug users turn to crystal meth. The verification came from an analysis of sewerage water from a municipality in Queensland. “Estimates were made of the average daily dose […]
Why politicians and law enforcement should embrace Silk Road
Online drugs marketplaces are far better than the current alternative. Despite what certain newspapers and ‘current affairs’ shows would have you believe, the vast majority of drug users – even chronic drugs users – are happy, non-violent people who hold down regular jobs. They don’t take drugs because there’s something lacking in their lives. They […]