Letter to Ross Ulbricht

Below is a letter written to Ross Ulbricht, via a friend’s visit to see him in prison on Sunday Sept 25, 2022. Ross has been caged (double life sentence plus forty years) for the “crime” of operating a website (Silk Road) which enabled consenting adults to buy and sell various drugs deemed illegal by the US government. Silk Road made drug use safer for thousands of people and was one of the early demonstrations of Bitcoin’s power to enable peaceful economic interaction. You can learn more at freeross.org

If we refer to ourselves as a society of free individuals, Prohibition must end.

“Perspective”
Graphite pencil drawing created by Ross in prison.

Hello Ross,

Perhaps you remember me from several years ago; my name is Erik Voorhees, I’ve been a Bitcoiner forever and had the great privilege of meeting you back in 2017 I believe, at the prison near Pueblo, Colorado. Your mother was kind enough to make the arrangements; this letter comes to you through Rene, a mutual friend of one of my good friends, Danielle.

I received from you a letter months later, and it remains a treasured possession sitting in my desk drawer.

For myself, Danielle, and our entire circle of close friends, your story and your struggle remain frequently in our thoughts. I can imagine the feeling from inside prison is one of being forgotten—wondering whether those on the outside remember who or where you are. Well, we absolutely do. We speak of you often at our barbecues, we lament your imprisonment, we discuss your bravery, and we wonder if some day, somehow, you’ll be released.

Back when we met, I told you that what you did inspired a great many people, and indeed kickstarted a revolution in how human beings interact economically.

I know your goal was to demonstrate peaceful interaction among humans, reforming an otherwise chaotic and dangerous market. You accomplished this, despite the horrible consequences which befell you afterward.

One thing that struck me from our discussion years ago was your disconnection from the state of Bitcoin’s development and advancement, and perhaps from the state of the broader world, unable to witness how it was changing.

To help remedy that just a bit, I’d like to use this letter to convey a couple insights about the world from which you’ve been alienated; the world you had an immense part in shaping, regardless of whether you recognize it from within your prison.

First, on Bitcoin. I can’t begin to describe to you the phenomenon that has been unleashed upon the world. Bitcoin is big. It’s a market worth hundreds of billions of dollars, with tens of billions traded on a daily basis. It is hard to find a person today who isn’t a little familiar with it. Everyone knows the name, hundreds of millions can describe the basics of what it is, and tens of millions around the world own some and cherish it. Nearly every government has talked about it, written papers on it, tried to regulate various aspects of its use, and pretended to nurture its “innovation” while also pretending not to smother it. The scale of what has unfolded is immense, and it’s become a true David vs Goliath story, one through which we have only thus enjoyed the first few chapters.

And Bitcoin has inspired an entire industry and ecosystem of similar technologies built on similar principles: that money and finance should be open, immutable, borderless, and free from central control. Despite many scams, false starts, and failed projects, this industry is thriving. It is out of control in the very best sense of the term. It cannot be stopped, cannot be arrested, cannot be caged. The past year has been fairly dismal for the price and public enthusiasm, but this happens in cycles, and while crypto hums along, the world’s fiat financial system is quaking, ravaged by inflation; increasingly brittle and manipulated.

The lifeboats now sit waiting, and those of us already inside can only be grateful for every innovator, builder, and risk taker that has brought this salvation to us. We are grateful for you, Ross, and we do not forget your role.

Second, on drugs. I lament the state of the world in many ways… governments encroaching further into the lives and liberties of people, while these same people often cheer it on and beg for more, oblivious to the path down which they march. And yet, outside of the glorious crypto revolution, there has been one other clear, irrefutable bright spot in American society at least: the perspective on drug use is changing.

You’re certainly aware that marijuana is legal in many states already, as in, fully recreationally legal. It sits on store shelves, and civilized individuals walk in, compare prices, brands, & potencies, talk with friendly counter-staff, purchase nicely packaged product, and walk out. It is peaceful, it is cooperative, and these are rarely drug addicts ruining their lives, but rather normal individuals who enjoy the experience of altered states of consciousness in various forms.

Within a decade, I believe marijuana will be legal, federally, in the US. Perhaps, all those innocent people locked in cages for their non-crimes will be released? It is feasible.

But beyond marijuana, there are exciting developments in the medical research of various psychedelics, as well as MDMA. Reputable scientific institutions are running studies revealing shockingly positive results. MDMA is being recognized not only as a successful treatment for afflictions like PTSD, but actually as perhaps the single best treatment ever revealed. In many cases, people have been outright cured through these treatments. Peoples’ lives are being saved by these drugs. Psychedelics are showing similar strong effects in treating various psychological afflictions.

Beyond the medical research, a book and documentary series by Michael Pollan has gone mainstream called “How to Change Your Mind.” This book presents the history of the science of psychoactive drugs in the US, how it was smothered out despite promising results, and how this research is finally coming back to the US and Europe over the past decade.

All such drugs remain Schedule I in the US, meaning they have “no medical value.” This dubious classification is misguided to the point of absurdity, and it must break at some point. The data is too strong, the scientific and cultural momentum becoming too great.

I convey all this to you not to drudge up memories of what got you in trouble, but to make sure you’re aware of the truly good things happening outside; themes toward which you’ve been a pioneer and a champion.

So while you sit in there—with the stoic resolve and inspiring perspective that we all see and appreciate through your posts on Twitter—know that your hand has furthered two societal revolutions occurring at the same time.

Please keep the communications going. Hundreds of thousands of people know who you are, why you’re important, and hope, work, and pray for your release some day.

As you’ve discovered in the darkest of places, life is beautiful and worth living, wherever you are.

Sincerely,

Erik Voorhees
9/25/22