The Year in Narcotics

Drugs. Where does one even begin? Someplace way, way back, maybe even to our (possibly) stoned ape ancestors taking their first steps out into the African savannah, all the way to right now, as Uruguay becomes the first nation ever to fully legalize cannabis for recreational use, and as Ross Ulbricht, the alleged founder of the original Silk Road drug bazaar, stares down a host of charges in Federal Court.

The story is just beginning. As 2013 nods its way into the books, we figured we'd take stock of everything we did this year by way of using, buying, making, pushing, and raging against drugs. Check out our Drugs page for the full hit. But here's a smattering of just some of the strangest, tragic, and uplifting drugs stories published on Motherboard in 2013.

High Country, A Mind-Melting Journey Through the Silicon Valley of Weed (Read parts I and II) — by Brian Anderson

Are Young Adults Getting Over Weed? — by Zach Sokol

Americans Want to Legalize Weed Because They're So Bummed Out — by Brian Anderson

Psychiatrist Lester Grinspoon Smoked Weed With Carl Sagan — A Lot — by David Bienenstock

The Confusing Science of Stoned Driving — by David Bienenstock

Is Weed Getting Too Good? — by Brian Anderson

Why You See What You See When You're Tripping on Psychedelics — by Brian Anderson

Can a Low Dose Go a Long Way? — by Brian Anderson

The Worst Pain — by Alex Pasternack

How Kiyoshi Izumi Built the Psych Ward of the Future by Dropping Acid — by Brian Anderson

The Sober Designs of Nixon-Era 'Psychedelic Devices' — by Brian Anderson

'Neurons to Nirvana' Makes the Case for Deeper Scientific Research into Psychedelics — by DJ Pangburn

Heroin Junkies Create the Most Depressing Instagrams — by Dan Stuckey

The US Leaving Afghanistan Means More Heroin in Russia — by Derek Mead

The UN Says Afghanistan Is Becoming a "Full-Fledged Narco State" — by Meg Neal

The Silk Road Is Shut Down, and the Owner Is in Custody — by Greg Thomas

The Alleged Founder of the Silk Road Is Staring Down Four New Contract-Killing Charges — by Brian Anderson

Good News, Drug Users: The Silk Road Is Back — by Joseph Cox

If SIlk Road Gets Shut Down, It Will Be Back Online in 15 Minutes — by Brian Anderson

Darknet: Touring the Hidden Internet's Illegal Markets — by Max Hoppenstedt

Everything the Silk Road Founder Did to Get Caught — by DJ Pangburn

No, the Feds Are Not Behind the New Silk Road — by Brian Anderson

The Motherboard Guide to New Psychoactive Substances — by Brian Anderson

Is Ecstasy the Key to Alleviating Autism Anxiety? — by Kelly Bourdet

Why 'Breaking Bad' Should Be Set in China — by Eveline Chao

Psychonauts Rejoice: New Zealand Proposed New Laws to Legalize Synthetic and Designer Drugs — by Zach Sokol

The Great K-Hole of China — by Robert Foyle Hunwick

It's Really Easy to Create Your Very Own Legal High — by Brian Anderson

To Move Drugs, Traffickers Are Hacking Shipping Containers — by Alex Pasternack

Mexican Drug Cartels Are Operating in All But 12 States — by Adam Clark Estes

Drug Overdose Deaths Are Increasing Pretty Much Everywhere — by Jason Koebler

A Japanese Asthma Drug May Help Curb Your Meth and Heroin Addiction — by Kelly Bourdet

No, Oreos Aren't as Addictive as Cocaine — by Jason Koebler

The Feds Made 113,664 Weed Busts on the Mexico Border in Six Years — by Brian Anderson

All Is Pointless in the Online Front of the War on Drugs — by Brian Anderson

Heroin, Cocaine, and Weed Are Stronger, Cheaper, and Easier to Get Than They've Ever Been — by Jason Koebler