Drug Laws on Rubi-Ka

[Brad, STL/MO]

I assume that normal, or even excessive, laws on mind-altering stims and other drugs apply inside Omni-Tek, and Omni controlled parts of Rubi-Ka.

But has either the Council of Truth or whatever passes for government among the neutrals actually gotten around to passing laws against such things?

In particular, I'm curious to know if the purple glowing stims, aka "glowstick," is legal or illegal in territories that the Tir Accord grants to the Council of Truth.

(Clarification from Funcom urgently needed for role-playing event purposes - please? Ragnar?)

[___________Talanthus]

Are there any "official" ilegal stims?

Or do i just need to stock up on speed stims and RP them as being "X-Stims: the Stim with that little something X-tra"?

Just wondering ...not that id actually use them, or sell them, or condone the use thereof ....or anything like that.

[Brad, STL/MO]

Totally Out of Character here: Because there have been "official" storylines where people were accused of drug dealing, some of the players have decided to use the "Purple Glowing Stim" trade skill item as a marker for "illegal drugs." Yes, I know, they're a perfectly normal trade skill item, and as such totally legal. And yes, I know, that as a tradeskill item, it doesn't do anything.

Which means that a "glowstick" is only an "mind-altering drug" if the person who sold it to you represented it as an illegal mind-altering drug called "glowstick" or "the purple stims," and you choose to role-play the mild euphoria, mild CNS depressant, and (at higher dosages or QLs) mild to moderate hallucinations and risk of overdose (especially when combined with alcohol).

And while we're out of character, yes, I-the-player know who the ultimate source is, and no, it's not Diamondcut or any other greenie, it's a player character.

The thing is, as someone who roleplays a rural cop, I need to know if anything resembling a governing authority in the liberated zone on Rubi-Ka has made the use or sale of mind-altering drugs illegal. So that's why I'm asking. If the people role-playing drug lords and the people role-playing drug dealers and I are going to roleplay plausible storylines here, it needs to stay consistent with Funcom's worldview.

It's easier for Meister, of course, because while nobody has officially said that Omni-Tek has outlawed dangerous mind altering drugs, nobody in their right mind would doubt it - especially if such drugs don't come from Omni-Tek.

And remember, while Brad/STLMO knows all of this, Sheriff Bradley doesn't. Well, not most of it.

[_____________Kirrana]

Brad,

For the sake of roleplaying always go with the flow, if it aids your roleplaying to believe these stims are banned then do so. You dont need Funcoms approval as long as people are willing to accept it that your Rping with.


In thruth Funcom have used a number of different types of stims to be used as banned ones, I have seen a few when people have been arrested in the Rompa Bar. Most of the stims where hacked, the effect this has increases the dose. I have no idea if players can hack stims, but I guess so, this may help you in RP as the stims will stand out.


So for laws I think you can assume the COT would pass about the same laws as Omni-Tek. However remeber only 12 of the clan guilds support the COT, so I expect the clans has very lawless areas.


I am not sure how you fit into the story but you might like to consider an ICC ban on them. ICC is seen as a body above both the clans and Omni-Tek having them enforce the ban would give you rights accross all worlds and not just Rubi-ka.

If you want a wider accpetance you should send a story into FC, if they print it its a backhanded way of getting them to aprove the idea. It will also increase the number of people who understand the stims are banned and give you something to point to if people are confused.

[Brad, STL/MO]

I did not do a search on the forums, so I may have missed something from Ragnar that would contradict my impressions. If anybody knows of one, give me a link, please?

I did go digging in the Funcom web site, including the news archives. (Thank you, Google.com, for helping.) Here are all the references to illegal drugs or stims that I found:

Official, Direct from Funcom:

AO Manual, Chapter 4, "Tir" - so good (and wrong) I have to quote it intact: "Tir is in a state of Anarchy. Nobody feels the need for institution, and nobody tries to force it upon anybody else. To a certain degree it seems to work. There are casinos, shops for illegal stims and a dedicated assassins guild. All the goods that could get you arrested anywhere else on Rubi-Ka, can be found here."

AO Manual, Chapter 6, "Fixer" - NPC fixer asks if you need any illegal stims.

Elena Oak profile - Elena is accused by an Omni-Pol officer of using stims, denies it.

Stories Submitted by Players, Accepted by Funcom:

Rubi-Ka Times, 18Jun02 and 23Jul02: Diamondcut and Insomnias convicted of murder and of "distribution of vast quantities of illegal stims," deported from Omni territory; described in later articles as "drug dealers." In a related article in the Voice of Freedom, they are described only as murderers.

Rubi-Ka Times, 27Jul02 - sensationalist article accuses Diamondcut and several guilds of pushing a drug called "White Trash." People advised to report dealers to the ICC.

Analysis:

I'm not sure I'd ever read their description of Tir, but yeah, the fixer section combined with the Elena Oak profile gave me the pretty clear impression that there are some kinds of stims that are illegal in Omni territory, but legal in Clan territory - for the simple reason that not much actually is illegal in Clan territory.

On the other hand, all of the stims in the game that actually do anything are also offered in OT Medical Supply sales terminals and by OT Pharmacists.

I have heard from multiple sources, including people in almost every guild named in that "White Trash" article, that the author has to have made it up out of whole cloth, without OOC asking any of those guilds if they were willing to play along. They were all pretty ticked off about it, too.

Ragnar has recently said in his weblog and a few threads that there are some pretty glaring errors in the backstory in the manual, and revising it is one of the things that's high on his to-do list.

So given that I've found people who are role-playing drug dealers, including friends of Diamondcut's, and that they're encouraging the "purple stims" angle, that's the one I want to go with, not that stupid (and not in the game) "White Trash" angle. And unless I hear otherwise, I'm assuming that unless the dealers get caught inside an Omni city, or by Omni agents outside a Clan city, they're safe as houses and could hand out the stuff on the streets if they wanted.

Anybody got any evidence to the contrary? Ragnar, am I right, or have I misread you? Have you had a change of mind?

[Nyadach]

Originally posted by Brad, STL/MO
But has either the Council of Truth or whatever passes for government among the neutrals actually gotten around to passing laws against such things?

Since Neutral territory is technically Omni territory which has been given special rights to "kinda" do as it pleases but not get in the way of OT as long as it abides to OT law (usually), it would be that the sale of drugs illegal in Omni-1 are just as illegal in Borealis, 20k or Last Ditch. And Omni-Pol has every right within the law to enter these areas to arrest anyone who is selling these items.

Newlands, being the only truely marked Neut area is kinda another matter...it was originally governed over (for the initial 60 day period) by the CoT, but since thats well over due now its now a case of being under Neut rule (if there is such a thing - yet). So more than likely Newlands is under the "anything goes" rules...and usually looking at Neutres'r'us anything usually does go, and be sold there.

[Tikon]

Greetings, I am Supreme High Court Justice Tikon

For the High Courts Of Justice.


With response to your drug enquiries on whats legal and whats not. Omni tek territory is controlled by Omni tek and any territories governed under the Tir accord will be subject to Omni Law.


We are currently looking into the matter of our outdated drug laws, we are currently in discusions with ICC board members to see what action and procedures the court can take against drug dealers and users. As most of Rubi-Ka's inhabitants are know fellons given a pardon when they moved here, it is to be expected that there are still criminal actions being conducted.


The drug which is officially illegal is the substance called "white Trash" and has been know to be circulating in omni entertainment in large quantities.

We are currently taking serious steps at the moment to stop this ever increasing problem.

With regards to the use of stims, wether some maybe illegal or illegal. As far as i am aware these stims are put on the market by the medical sectors, to which we do not deem as illegal.

But it has been know that the substance inside the stim injectors to be changed for a more addictive substance, as the containers protect the substance from detection by scanners throughout the cities.

So if there are illegal substances floating around our cities in the forms of stims i urge you to be careful, as some dubious characters have been know to mix the drugs with poisons, so that they can get the correct weight for a higher price.

And if you are caught in posession of the illegal substances, then you can face severe punishment.

[______________Ragnar]

Originally posted by Brad, STL/MO
So given that I've found people who are role-playing drug dealers, including friends of Diamondcut's, and that they're encouraging the "purple stims" angle, that's the one I want to go with, not that stupid (and not in the game) "White Trash" angle. And unless I hear otherwise, I'm assuming that unless the dealers get caught inside an Omni city, or by Omni agents outside a Clan city, they're safe as houses and could hand out the stuff on the streets if they wanted.

Anybody got any evidence to the contrary? Ragnar, am I right, or have I misread you? Have you had a change of mind?

Tricky issue, and one we should definitely clarify in the near future. For the time being, here's my input.

According to the Tir Accord - if I remember correctly - the entirety of Rubi-Ka is still under the primary jurisdiction of the Omni-Tek Corporation. The Council of Truth has been recognised as a governing body for the clans affiliated with it, and certain areas have been placed under CoT control and law.

However, in a situation where Omni-Pol needs to conduct an investigation, make arrests, or capture suspects, they can enter CoT-controlled areas - all they need to do is "inform" the Council of their actions.

This means that, if someone's selling illegal drugs - and yup, some drugs are bad, even in the future! - Omni-Pol can arrest them, wherever they may be, if the Corporation wants to.

In general, there are "galactic" laws that all corporations (and planets) need to follow, set down - in the case of corporate-run planets - by the ICC. These include heavy restrictions on drugs, especially nanobot enhanced "stims.

That's the issue in the broadest possible terms. If you need more details, let me know.

-Ragnar

[Dabblez]

Its funny how the way things turn out sometimes.

"White Trash" is a drug I created for an adventure the South Rubi-Ka Society started playing 3 months ago or so. There is a somewhat confused write up of the adventure at this link if you are interested.

http://rubika.no-ip.org/srs/srsadvent.htm

In this adventure (of which the final chapter still has to be played out) "White Trash" is a very specific drug created for a very specific purpose. It is only found among the dealers in Omni-Sewers. I really can't add more without blowing the story, but it is not just another drug.

None of this was official, none of it cannonical; just a tiny guild doing it's thing.

At one small point our story overlapped a little with Diamondcut, and I can only assume it was then that the name "White Trash"
left our little circle and made its way in the big wide world. Until I saw you post I never even knew "White Trash" had made the news. Kind of made me proud, you know in a "the boy done good" sort of way.

At some point, when I get back the running this adventure I will have to figure out how to reconcile our original version of "White Trash" with the defacto, new version "White Trash"; it should not be too difficult. But it really is quite amusing to think that a minor detail in one of our adventures might be better known than our guild itself!

[________Garzu-perman]

My and my buddies are smuggling drugs, come and get me

[phil]

Yeah, uh.. why are there only 8 members in a guild called ali baba and the 40 thieves... that implies 41 members there...

[Brad, STL/MO]

Everyone knows a noob ... can't ...
Recruit 40 new dudes,

But he's got ... HIIIIIIGH hopes,
He's got ... HIIIIIIGH hopes,
He's got ... high apple pie in the ... SKYYYY hopes.

So when you're feeling blue,
Don't know what to do,
Just remember that noob!

Look there goes, another 40 new
Look there goes, another 40 new
Look there goes, another 40 new dudes!

When I get tired, I break out in song. *shrug* So sue me.