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Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

theatlantic.com

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Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#131

Post by chc »

EGreg wrote: post #127
chc wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would prefer that you explain what you think they are supposed to do other than turn back to crime when they get out. The comment you were replying to was talking about how difficult it is for ex-cons to become productive members of society, and you just replied, "Aren't they already entrepreneurs?" This seems to imply that you believe the problem he was describing is not real because of their inclusion in the cate…

While I am against the lack of learning and internet usage that inmates get (missing chances to prepare them for the real world and raising rates of recidivism), my point is that drug dealers in particular have the skills to be self-employed and run their own business. They already engaged in sales and formed customer relationships, etc. They can do that in other fields. You know, Adam Smith talked about being self-e…

Not without any resources. Approximately nobody is going to fund a guy whose only demonstrable skill is getting himself arrested for selling pot. They may have what it takes to run a business, but they're going to need to live until that business hits a relatively high level of profitability — which means they need a job.

Additionally, not everyone who sells drugs necessarily "doesn't want a job." Many are simply attracted to the easy money, which is not a trait drug dealing shares with most legal businesses.

Either way, ex-cons by and large do need jobs.

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#132

Post by MichaelGG »

driverdan wrote: post #111
MichaelGG wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Constipation and weakening of bowel can be quite inconvenient side effects of opiate use. Methamphetamine is also fairly safe (mainly psychosis and heart issues right?). Teeth falling out is more of a result of people tweaking for days without taking care of themselves. After all, methamphetamine is a Schedule II, prescribed, commercial medication.

Meth at recreational doses is not safe. It's highly neurotoxic.

Much more so, dose-relative, than amphetamines that you find in, say, Adderall? Do you have a reference; I'd like to read more.

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#133

Post by Alex3917 »

JamesArgo wrote: post #19
0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was it the war on drugs what kept you from using it more than once a year or so, or something else?

The metabolites of MDMA are thought to be neurotoxic. Though it's known the chemical itself is not. In a sane world, we would use drug discovery to find drugs with similar effects but without the toxic metabolites. But we love to punish people for their vices, so there is no research on creating safer alternatives to existent drugs.

We already have a non-neurotoxic version, it's called MDAI.

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#134

Post by EGreg »

chc wrote: post #131
EGreg wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I am against the lack of learning and internet usage that inmates get (missing chances to prepare them for the real world and raising rates of recidivism), my point is that drug dealers in particular have the skills to be self-employed and run their own business. They already engaged in sales and formed customer relationships, etc. They can do that in other fields. You know, Adam Smith talked about being self-e…

Not without any resources. Approximately nobody is going to fund a guy whose only demonstrable skill is getting himself arrested for selling pot. They may have what it takes to run a business, but they're going to need to live until that business hits a relatively high level of profitability — which means they need a job. Additionally, not everyone who sells drugs necessarily "doesn't want a job." Many are simply att…

So you don't think that it would be far better for inmates to be taught, say, to become programmers or translators or do some other business that is in demand, allows them to be self-employed and requires low start-up costs?

Why?

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#135

Post by girvo »

throwaway13qf85 wrote: post #5

I found this sentence interesting - I surmised that Viktor serves a large segment of the East Coast and personally takes in $24,000 to $32,000 per month after all his other costs are covered. Let's say he takes in an average of $30,000 per month. Does $360,000 annually sound like quite a small amount of money for running a highly illegal business that serves a large chunk of the East Coast? Small-to-medium sized busi…

Look, weed makes no money. It never has, really, unless you're a mogul running an international empire.

You can't cut it, it's cheap, and it's much much harder to move around. Straight chemicals are where the billions are made.

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#136

Post by girvo »

wmeredith wrote: post #66
swalkergibson wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone whose sister just died of a heroin overdose, I hope that we will get to the point that all drugs are legal. My sister died alone in a locked bedroom because of the shame and stigma associated with her addiction and related mental illness. I have no doubt that if there was a safe place she could go to use pharmaceutical grade heroin with clean needles that she would be alive today.

You're probably right. One of the most interesting things about heroin is that there are no long term negative side effects other than the addiction itself. This is as opppsed to something like meth that will make your teeth fall out with regular use. All the pitfalls of heroin addiction are socioeconomic. I'm sorry for your loss.

The reason I'm a productive member of society now after kicking my 6-year heroin addiction is due to this little known fact, coupled with Australia being surprisingly progressive when it comes to Opiate Replacement Therapy.

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#137

Post by marquis »

swalkergibson wrote: post #52
smacktoward wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We might even get there soon. For pot, sure. For cocaine? I seriously doubt it.

As someone whose sister just died of a heroin overdose, I hope that we will get to the point that all drugs are legal. My sister died alone in a locked bedroom because of the shame and stigma associated with her addiction and related mental illness. I have no doubt that if there was a safe place she could go to use pharmaceutical grade heroin with clean needles that she would be alive today.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#138

Post by kittycow »

CocaKoala wrote: post #82
kittycow wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

agreed. I take one whenever i go to a job interview. Without it I'm a stuttering idiot during an interview. where as with ecstasy I turn in to the dos equis beer guy.

How often to you go to job interviews? If you have lots of them and take MDMA before each one, I think it might not be as helpful as you feel it is.

good point!

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#139

Post by smsm42 »

wmeredith wrote: post #66
swalkergibson wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone whose sister just died of a heroin overdose, I hope that we will get to the point that all drugs are legal. My sister died alone in a locked bedroom because of the shame and stigma associated with her addiction and related mental illness. I have no doubt that if there was a safe place she could go to use pharmaceutical grade heroin with clean needles that she would be alive today.

You're probably right. One of the most interesting things about heroin is that there are no long term negative side effects other than the addiction itself. This is as opppsed to something like meth that will make your teeth fall out with regular use. All the pitfalls of heroin addiction are socioeconomic. I'm sorry for your loss.

As far as I know, meth does very little harm to your teeth as such. Habits associated with being a person who regularly uses meth do much more. Add to that selection bias - if somebody uses meth every day but is otherwise a nicely groomed stock broker, how would you know he is a drug user? OTOH, seeing a "typical meth addict", esp. in the news and propaganda, rotten teeth and all, is readily recognizable.

Re: Your Friendly Neighborhood Drug Dealer

#140

Post by WarDekar »

cnp wrote: post #112
WarDekar wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No hangover? Except for, let's see, a short list: Severely depleted serotonin levels, causing irritability and possibly depression Loss of focus, concentration, and attention (good luck programming competently the day after) Bruxism (jaw clenching/grinding)

Hangovers tend to occur when you've had MDMA mixed with one of the ever-more-frequent mixers such as methamphetamine, cocaine or even MDA, which actually targets dopamine receptors far more prominently than the serotonin and knock you out for days. Pressed pills are usually the culprit, and I would avoid them unless you know exactly where they're coming from. From a wide array of experience, pure MDMA (in recommended…

From your own article:

"The drug's letdown can include feelings of confusion, irritability, anxiety, paranoia and depression, and people may experience memory loss or sleep problems, jaundice or liver damage."

And:

"Dr. John Halpern, a Harvard Medical School assistant professor who led the research, said pure MDMA can change core body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure in the short-term, and decrease immune resistance for a few days."

Sounds like a hangover to me:

"2a : disagreeable physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs" http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hangover

I'm not saying MDMA is terrible for you, but it certainly does cause hangover effects (and of course, this will vary by person).

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