Post #4

Black Market Drugs

  Drugs are the number one seller in black markets for a number of reasons. One, being that they are much cheaper and easier to access; two being that there are no strings attached; and three is the variety. All three of these reasons all connect together to make black market drugs the strongest underground economy in today's modern society. In the U.S, illegal drugs such as cocaine, rank second in the world for most expensive. However, in the black market, users can purchase the drug at a fraction of the price. Many people are now switching to black markets to buy illegal and legal drugs due to this reason. Another reason why people are switching to black markets to buy drugs is because often times, you are completely anonymous to the seller. With modern technology, much of the drug pricing, and even selling, is done online on private websites operated by the dealer. This can often lead to trouble for both the consumer and the buyer. For example, the consumer has a higher chance of being harmed by the effects of the drugs because he or she doesn't know exactly what they're buying. The dealer can also run into trouble such as getting caught online by the DEA, or be faced with charges such as drug trafficking or even murder. An example of this scenario happening occurred earlier this year in Minnesota, where a nineteen-year-old teen had purchased a large amount of what he thought was 2C-E, (a dangerous drug similar to mushrooms) online, but had turned out to be a far more dangerous drug than he thought it was. He had overdosed and was rushed to hospital after being found in a snowbank hallucinating and literally going insane. The victim had died shortly after taken to hospital. The DEA had traced the victims financial records to the dealer, who was then charged with murder and is serving a life sentence. This example increasingly occurs almost daily everywhere in North America and is definitely an issue that needs to be looked into more, and to cut down and drug trafficking through the black market. 

Post #3

Black Markets: The Unreported Economy 

 The unreported economy refers to the black market which is involved in economic activity that goes unheard of, or hidden. The taxes of the black market items, are not recorded or payed for by the consumer. Many of the more common goods, (food, clothing etc.) are usually cheaper than regular market prices, but the more uncommon items, (drugs, technology, etc.) are sometimes more expensive than they usually would be, depending on the quantity or how common the item is. All items are tax free which is why many people choose the black market, especially in developing countries, to purchase goods instead of buying them through regular markets. Don't think of this as a benefit in any way though, it is still illegal because of the transaction completed in exchanging the products, even if the product is legal. For example, while the buying and selling of food is not illegal, the transaction enters the black market when the good sold is illegal, such as foie gras (luxury food)  in California. This violates human rights mostly through the black market organ trade. The organ trade has grown tremendously over the last decade, due to the fact that health care is changing financially, and in some developing countries, extremely poor. There is a worldwide shortage of organs available who can not afford proper medical treatment. This is another reason why many people turn to the black market to seek medical help. In my opinion, this issue needs to be taken care of so that violations of human rights can be reduced in the black market.

Post #2

What is the Black Market?

Black Markets are a rising issue everywhere in the world, but especially in developing countries. Black Markets or The Black Market, is trading goods illegally. These goods can be anything at all, but some of the more popular items are drugs, weapons, animals and animal products, alcohol, body parts, and copyrighted media. Approximately 1.8 billion are involved in Black Markets worldwide,  generating over 40 billion dollars in marijuana alone. It's affecting us globally because it provides jobs to many that are unemployed, however, takes business away from many small companies.