Silk Road forums
Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: aciddeath on March 01, 2012, 01:28 am
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I am unsure if this could/should be discussed here... but the large population of international users (with likely similar affinity for drugs) are sure to have some sort of opinion on the matter
The political, social/judicial and economic climates of America are becoming scarier as the days progress.I have recently been contemplating expatriating to another nation as a result of the tensions associated with my daily "in society" routines. There is a lot of suffering and strife in America today.
I have heard that there are areas of Europe where the "police state" for lack of a better word is less severe than in the US, especially with regards to 'illegal' substances. I have heard that some European countries will even write citations (instead of outright arrest) for personal quantities of substances. Some that even require police officers to go to school and undergo psychological evaluation before becoming law enforcement!
Europeans, are you friends with any Americans in your country? How are they treated?
Do you feel Americans are at a disadvantage in the job market? What do you think about Americans coming to live and work (professionally) in your country? Is it a good idea?
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In a word: VISAS
Just as your country makes it fucking difficult to legally reside, so does Europe.
It all depends on what skills and qualifications you have as to whether it is possible to emigrate and get a decent cost.
My impression is that yes, possession is treated much more harshly in the States. Portugal has decriminalized all drugs for possession and in Holland it is okay to do soft drugs (what is considered soft drugs has/is changing since I have been there) in the UK cannabis is no big deal and you can smoke on the street without much risk.
If you are young and have a degree (especially in engineering or other in demand fields) then you should be able to get a visa and work, if not you can always go on holiday and stay without much risk - though you will have to be more creative about getting work.
The UK has a points system for visas similar to Canada, don't know about elsewhere but you should also consider the language barrier.
Don't limit yourself to the EU unless you want to stay somewhere with the rule of law and all the implied safety that it brings, Europe is most def. one of the safest regions on earth, however most of the rest of the world is safer than a big U.S. city when looked at in terms of homicide/population
There is something liberating yet potentially scary about going somewhere where the law is not so much of an issue due to incompetence, lack of resources and the ability to bribe officers.
If your into opiates or marijuana you may want to consider Cambodia: visa costs under $100 a year and you can do what you want without much hassle. If you've got no real marketable skills or qualifications in the U.S. you can always teach English and I understand the pay in Cambodia will allow you to live very well.
Downsides include (but are not limited to): not much in the way of hallucinogens apart from mushrooms, weed is lower quality than the hydro you might like, the little coke there is, it is very expensive.
If you prefer cocaine or want to toke joints closer to your home then look somewhere in Latin America (Central is a bit fucked up in general at the moment, S. is relatively safe) again you can teach English but the pay is not so great in relation to cost of living. Visas are more problematic here, depends on the country but you will probably have to bribe, marry or just stay illegally - if you've got 10-30k in the bank you should be able to get an investment visa.
In L. America drugs can result in some pretty stiff sentences in nasty jails, the idea here is to bribe police in the event you are stupid enough to get caught: you must learn the language if you are to be successful at this. In Uruguay pot is legal. Belize is English speaking....
Africa, I know even less about Africa but I have fond memories of smoking big spliffs on the beach in Gambia and no one being bothered, weak shit but you can't go wrong when your paying $20 a pound.
Outside of the rich world: drugs are cheap and so is fruit and veg. Find an oil rich country and gasoline can be under a dollar a gallon. But you've gotta be smart about how you carry yourself.
I don't know enough about anywhere to give you a definitive opinion but I can tell you that as a European living in S. America I am very happy and live reasonably well. I have got busted once and I managed to talk my way out of it without a bribe (I pleaded having MS and being a good guy and I got let off with an unofficial warning, but it was just a half ounce of pot).
If you learn the language you will be able to get work thanks to your English language skills, though you will have to complete further studies and get certified in rich countries.
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To add to bananatinpots post (which is exhaustive and a great answer)
There are some eastern european nations where the bribe-ability of cops is combined with the relative safety of a westernized country, for example - the czech republic. Drugs are widespread, there's even a club that's unofficially for cocaine (LeClan)
There's another club, 5 stories, each story a different theme / style, with free entry, they make money by renting out floorspace to dealers.
Just a suggestion. Prague is known as "the Amsterdam of the east" for good reason.
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In Czech republic all drugs are decriminalized for personal use amounts, they are not even confiscated or a fine or anything. I think it is one of the most libertarian countries in the world actually, on many different issues. You could always bounce back and forth between two different countries with a tourist visa in each of them, cept EU countries most all use the same Visa.
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wow, thank you all for the replies. There is some good information here!
this is obviously not the 'easiest' of tasks to undertake
In the interest of maintaining a modicum of anonymity..
I do have a degree that places in me in the professional/technology sector. A lot of the customers I interface with are in Brazil, Hong Kong, Germany, Holland, UK, etc... The things I worried most about moving abroad were language barriers and discrimination towards foreigners (Americans).
I have been to the czech republic / prague before. What a wild place.. in new prague there was a ton of hookers all hooking by their 'shacks' wearing the same dress, but different colors. Germany and Switzerland were also amazing places. I have a friend in Denmark now and she says she buys weed from street vendors in Copenhagen in the open.
My friend recently spent a few months in south America and said it was extraordinarily cheap to live, but generally lacked qualify marijuana (which is my main drug of choice).
Many things to consider... I suppose it's just one of those things, as a young adult, that I have to plan for a little and then pull the trigger on.
Australia seems like a pleasant place to live as well
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Why move to a place with laws similar to USA, or worse? If anywhere you should move to a more free country :P. IMO language barrier wont be much of an issue in a lot of Europe, because a lot of people speak English particularly in western Europe (although I guess in France even if they speak english they will pretend not to). Of course you should learn the language of the country you are in though. Study hard for six months to a year and you will be able to get by imo. I also don't think you will run into a lot of hostility towards Americans in most of Europe, the people you would want to associate with will be smart enough to not judge individuals by their birth country.
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I really would love to visit the Czech Republic. I've heard great things about how liberal it is there. I read this article where someone went there from some weed magazine, and they were at this fair in what looked like the middle of a city/town, and they had 2 huge jars of bud out on this table, had to be like a half pound in each jar, and I guess they were giving out free joints or something, can't really remember.
I've also heard that great acid comes from the CR, because there's not as much restriction on who can have/run a lab or something?
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Language barriers can be overcome if you put a small amount of effort and enthusiasm into it, immerse yourself in the local language and try to communicate in it, you'll be conversant in less than a year. Most people in most parts of the world will be really happy that you try and talk to them in their language, even if it's not perfect. Holland and the Scandinavian countries have extraordinarily high levels of English speakers, in the tech sector English abilities are usually higher than in other sectors.
You could suffer the reverse problem of being trapped in an English language cocoon and never having to learn much more than "Please" "One more beer" "How much is the bill?" and "Thankyou" Don't be fooled by this, you need to learn the language within a couple of years or you will be seen as an incredible donkey.
Don't be afraid of discrimination against North Americans, there isn't much. When you hear about "anti-Americanism" in Europe, it's just a hatred of your government, it's large corporations and other faceless entities, as a person who doesn't agree blindly with your government you should have no problems. I can hate the USA yet love people from that country.
Plenty of people have a certain resentment towards the obviously nasty side of the USA, yet love Hollywood and have highly positive impressions of parts of your popular culture and recognize that you aciddeath are not part of your government and don't represent its insane policies.
Your false democracy doesn't make you culpable for the actions of your government, you don't choose them anyway, we know how your system works: two people with the same views competing inside of a rigged system does not a democracy or choice make.
As for a lack of good quality weed in South America, learn how to make hash oil from large quantities of cheap shit.
Wherever you end up, don't tell the locals how things are different unless you are asked and don't criticize their country unless you are very sure it won't be over heard or taken badly. Learn the customs, how to properly greet and say goodbye to people in their language as a minimum. Remember you might be the only person someone ever meets from your country and you owe it to your friends and family to represent them all well. Don't over advertise your drug using ways even if you're in a liberal place.
Good Luck!