By: Hayden Cunningham
Ross Ulbricht made one of his first public appearances since being released from prison, speaking at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit (SAS) in Tampa, Florida.
Ulbricht was granted a full pardon by President Donald Trump on his first full day in office. Before the pardon, Ulbricht was serving two life sentences plus 40 years without parole. His case has long been a focal point for libertarians, many of whom viewed his sentencing as excessive. Upon greeting the crowd, Ulbricht opened by thanking Trump for his freedom and extended his gratitude to the crowd for supporting the president.
Ulbricht is widely known for Silk Road, an online marketplace that launched in 2011 and operated using Bitcoin and Tor to protect users’ identities. The platform was largely associated with the online sale of illegal drugs.
During his speech, Ulbricht reflected on his past actions, telling the audience that he originally believed the site was a way to promote freedom by allowing people to buy and sell whatever they wanted, so long as it didn’t harm others. However, he said that view has since changed.
“I thought I was giving people freedom,” Ulbricht explained.
Ulbricht detailed his time in prison, noting that he met many men struggling with drug addiction and began helping them with recovery. He emphasized how addiction destroys lives, families, and communities, and he realized that equating drug use to freedom is “hopelessly naive” because addicts are enslaved, not free.
Still, he explained to the audience that, while he wishes drugs could be removed from the world, such an option is not possible.
“Drugs exist,” Ulbricht said. “Outlawing drugs is not a viable way to make them go away, unfortunately, sadly, because addiction is incredibly harmful.”
Ulbricht continued by saying that although he believes government intervention is not the answer regarding drug use, he believes his promotion of drug use was a mistake.
“Addiction and drug use is complicated,” Ulbricht explained. “It raises deep, important questions about freedom, about political freedom and personal freedom. Making a website and giving people free range to buy and sell drugs is not the answer, and I want my supporters to hear this.”
“Now, I have to live with the fact that I played a role in people losing their freedom to addiction. That will weigh on my conscience for the rest of my life,” he added.
Ulbricht compared the issue to the tobacco industry, noting how addiction to legal substances like nicotine and alcohol is addressed through societal pressure and support systems rather than incarceration. He pointed out that cigarette use declined not because of criminal penalties but because of changing social attitudes.
“Take tobacco, nicotine—extremely addictive, extremely harmful, legal, not widely used. Why? Persuasion,” Ulbricht said. “There was no cigarette mob, there was no nicotine cartel, there was no blood in the streets over cigars and dip. It was just peaceful persuasion.”
He concluded by acknowledging the complexity of drug policy, suggesting that while legalization may reduce harm, it still requires personal responsibility.
“Here I am. I just spent over a decade in prison over drugs, and on the one hand, I’m telling you I would push the button to make drugs go away if I could. And on the other hand, I’m telling you that we’d all be better off if drugs were just legalized,” Ulbricht said. “And if that still seems like a contradiction to you, just remember government is not that button. Government is not some magic genie that will grant you wishes if you can just get control of it.”
“If the government isn’t there to tell you what to do, then you have to govern yourself,” He added. “You have to make choices for yourself. So please, make good choices… don’t do what I did and rush into something that you’ll regret later.”
Watch full speeches from all SAS speakers on the Turning Point USA YouTube Channel.
