How to Survive Under the Counter

Beneath all of the daily politics, television news, and affairs of law-abiding citizens there lies a massive unseen network of illicit activists and radicals. With a cell phone and an urban informant one can find just about any drug or weapon that they can think of. Even those without a dime to their name can find a dealer willing to front some sort of substance if they've got the right connections. The network is so active that if you know one person on the inside, you'll know the remaining majority by the end of the week. The network is constantly changing, growing, shrinking, and dividing as arrests are made, and even homicides occur. This network I call the Under-the-Counter network. If you don't know what you're doing, it can be a very dangerous place. There is always someone looking to take advantage of a clueless sap who's new to the concept of illicit dealing. Propaganda, exaggeration, and blatant bullshitting are three of the many ways drug dealers make extra 'bank'. Triple stacks of ecstacy, for example, frequently are no different in composition or make than a regular ecstacy tablet. They are simply a way of boosting a price from 15 to 30. OxyContin is all too often sold illicitly for outrageous prices, sometimes priced by the milligram. If you know your way around, you'll know the worth of your purchase, and can get OC-40s for 5 bucks a pop as opposed to 40. If you end up doing something stupid, like getting a front from a dealer and not paying back, you'll most likely end up jumped in the gutter.
I cannot emphasize enough that there is always someone searching for a sap to take advantage of. A constant recurring phenomenon that easily could be prevented is unauthentic dealing. A dealer takes some look-alike pills that he can get from the store, bags them, and sells them for 5 a pill. This wouldn't happen if one were smart and took the time to look up pill imprint codes and identification characteristics. But, as ignorance is bliss, many people are just as satisfied with the placebo effect they shelled out 5 dollars for.

Drug Propaganda: Poisoning the Well

You see it on television; you see it in little pamphlets that are usually plastered all over the guidance offices of academic places. You hear it from the mouths of tons of people who have been passing lies down and been the victims of this phenomenon strikingly resemblant of a 'virus'.
The year 1906: the first significant instance of drug regulation occurs in the District of Columbia in the United States. The Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906 required the quantity and name of the substance to be printed on various drugs on the market.
Then, in 1925 in the International Opium Convention the United States supported the regulation of indian hemp, you probably know the more common term: Hashish. Banning the exportation of hashish and any derivatives or preparations containing it, and imposing regulations requiring that a certificate be issued. One provision of the certificate: Any hashish-related product requires notation that it is specifically for medical and scientific purposes. European hemp however, useful primarily as a fiber in various products due to it's low level of THC.
The Boggs Act of 1952 and The Narcotics Control Act of 1956
Increased punishment and mandatory sentencing inevitably occur through the years as more and more regulations correlating to marijuana are amended. Jail time and hefty fines are imposed upon possessors of the product. The act was repealed in 1970.
July First, 1973
Concern and fear grew in many American neighborhoods and cities over the increasing availability of drugs. Their fear was overwhelming, as in the 1960's drugs were mangled and the new technology for communication and improvements in multimedia utilities created the perfect outlet for propaganda. LSD, for example, was very short in terms of research and controlled experiments. Upon it's criminalization it was still very unresearched and swimming in a flood of government propaganda. It was urged by several congress members and federal employees that LSD was the reason for the 'rebellious' attitude that was consuming the vast majority of the adolescent population. The concern grew so much that on July 1st, 1973, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was conceived. Wouldn't you know it, this was a proposition of Richard Nixon's "Reorganization Plan Number Two".
Poisoning The Well
Vagueness can be deadly, and in the hands of organizations and websites like Freevibe, Truth, and Drugfree it is one of the many mediums through which they feed propaganda into the minds of young and old citizens. Advertisements rarely have any specific consequences of drug use listed, simply something such as a video of some kid disappointing his friend or letting his little sister drown and then saying "I was so high last night... What did I do?"
I'm not saying I oppose drug control. I oppose it's prosecution and the drugs they are regulating. Opiates need regulation. When it came to the US through Chinese Immigrants it ended up turning the country into a giant opium den and causing severe addictions and even deaths. Opium and synthetic or natural derivatives of it should be controlled because it has risks that pose a threat, and we've seen the results of a country with no opium. I oppose the way that anti-drug organizations mix false information and false truths into accurate information simply because they believe that drug use is bad. Freedom is always traded for security, and it's beginning to happen alot more than usual. I support harm-reduction, as that's essentially the purpose of this site. Stupid people do stupid things, and I'm here to let you know that dumb shit happens and how you can avoid it. I don't think it's anywhere near right to support the incarceration of myriads of innocent American citizens for simply possessing a natural plant. The research should occur before the legislation is set into motion, running off of heresay that is the result of years of false-truths being passed down is unintelligent and detrimental to the country.

Just take a look at one of the ad's, they're all ridiculous and there solely to regulate through fear-http://www.whatsyourantidrug.com/ads.asp

Yet, the government can't review anything, they're too busy digging up Jimmy Hoffa and dealing with steroid use among recreational sports.