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OD Delivered: How drug dealing has made its way online

In December of 2018, a confirmed overdose left Vine and HQ Trivia co-founder Colin Kroll dead in his apartment. While the concept of a wealthy business person taking part in the use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin is not something new to the American people, the revelation of just how easily these drugs are obtained is catching the eye of many citizens.The New York Times reported that Kroll had ordered the drugs responsible for his overdose on his cellphone. This order was placed through a company that delivered the drugs straight to Kroll’s home. It has been reported that six people within this operation had been charged for supplying the drugs.

It’s well understood that the rich and famous are able to get their hands on just about anything that they want, including class A drugs. The shock comes from the knowledge that this operation, which was being run under the name “Mike’s Candyshop,” worked the same way that any food delivery service does. An individual is able to type in an order on their phone for a certain delivery time and watch as the delivery makes its way to the personal drop off at the individual’s door. Gone is the shame and anxiety that came with a back alley drug deal that would have occurred 10 years ago. In its place, a new form of accessibility and anonymity has taken root.

Opening the door to a decreased stigma around acquiring drugs means trouble. The less dangerous any particular part of the drug purchasing, obtaining and consuming appears to be the more likely people are to try it. Without the risk of getting mugged in a poorly lit parking lot to get your cocaine or heroin, many more amateur and first time drug users are likely to be seduced by the convenience of it. The second drugs seem less dangerous and more normalized teens and young adults will let their guards down.

The U.S. has a long way to go in combating the drug crisis and developments like that of Mike’s Candyshop only makes drugs a trickier thing to tackle. In a society where drug users will get their hands on what they’re looking for, regardless of whether it’s illegal or not, technological advances concerning drug trafficking don’t change the game much. What it does change is the accessibility for people who may not have previously entertained the idea of obtaining drugs. These companies and operations need to be stopped so people understand that while there is just as much ease in ordering a pizza from Dominos as there is in getting a bag of cocaine from Mike’s Candyshop doesn’t make the drug any less deadly. The story of a celebrity as wealthy as Vine’s CEO is a prime example of this.

 


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