Hacker News Reader

> > users migrate to other, smaller but similar anonymous black markets

They're not going to be very happy about it, though. They were on SR for a reason. With Atlantis shuttering the other week, that leaves just BMR (old, but full of scammers) and Sheep (less than a year old and tiny).

View on HN

Nobody in California was happy when their favorite dispensery got raided 8 years ago and there weren't many alternatives. But there is 3 per block in Los Angeles these days.

California legalized medical marijuana and has reduced overall penalties, so I don't see how your comparison is remotely relevant.

Despite the fact that raids were continuously happening, local governments were enacting bans (meaning immediate financial ruin) and certain dispensary owners were facing decades in prison...I'm not sure what the legality of the situation has to do with either of our points. The size and scope of alternatives is directly related to the success of the primary institution. The users will certainly not be happy about the situation, but barring major developments in the coming weeks, it is clear that operators and users have decided the risks are acceptable comparable to the service. Pointing to the landscape of alternative services at the present moment does not indicate how users will migrate and how site owners will propagate in the face of opportunity. The California industry is comparable as operators, while facing smaller penal punishment, faced the same financial risk and zero anonymity.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com