In the early 1970s, there was a strike of postal workers in Denver, centered on the main office, a block-square building in the heart of town.
The VD rate shot up, as did the sale and overdose of many different kinds of controlled substances. What was the connection?
Hippies had flooded the downtown and camped out around the building where they waited for the strike to end so they could get their checks from home. The strike took weeks, and without funds, people began to buy and sell to one another what they had.