I'm simultaneously conservative and liberal on drugs. What is certainly true is that the issue is far more complex than the media, Ulbricht's supporters and everyone in between make it out to be. However, I'm definitely worried about the practical side of this result. Silk Road was in a utilitarian way probably a good thing, because ... drugs will out. Removing the human element from the selling is a start. I'm glad Ulbricht is going to jail, because it turns out that he was a fucked up semi-sociopath. But the corresponding indictment of the online drug trade is scary. I don't think most drugs should be legal or particularly accessible, but Silk Road was a step up on the status quo. This case represents the sort of shortsighted attitude that makes Erowid persona non grata for significant funding and recognition.
in the end Ulbricht went to jail for the wrong reasons, maybe because the hit man situation blew over and I missed it, or maybe because of some legalistic thing. Oh well.