Can Dark Net drug markets reduce drug use risk?
By André Gomes
Much has been made of the potential dangers posed by dark net drug markets, from unprecedented availability, to new ‘harmful’ substances being used recreationally. But, does increased interaction among users and grassroots online community advice actually reduce risk?
Of course, there is the immediate benefit of removing face-to-face interaction with unknown dealers and thus any possible risk of violence, along with any immediate risk of arrest for purchasing illicit substances. This is just the tip of the iceberg, though, when discussing what we mean by risk in the street-level market.
During the famed trial of Ross Ulbricht -- founder of the now-defunct Silk Road online drug market who was sentenced last year to life in prison -- researcher Tim Bingham submitted evidence (see Exhibit 11) for the defense prior to sentencing stating that his findings revealed how cyber communities provided each other with “nested support systems,” including information exchange and identification of trusted suppliers. This ultimately illustrated “Silk Road’s capacity to encourage harm reduction within a very hard to reach drug using population,” Bingham’s submission stated.
Silk Road’s Amazon-esque approach was central to this; buyers would rate and comment on vendor’s products, anonymity and delivery time, establishing a meritocratic system where vendors with the most consistent product would rise in popularity. Those with established reputations would gain buyers as the rating system would benefit those with the most confirmed (i.e. received) sales. Those with low-quality products or scammers were denounced by the community and expelled by forum moderators.
A perfect example of the latter can be found in the rise of the LSD Avengers on Silk Road. After several claims of research chemicals being purposefully sold as LSD, the group would buy batches of the drug from several vendors and test them for purity, leaving reviews on vendors’ pages so all potential customers were informed.
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