I'm doing a project on Darknet Markets, and I'd appreciate your help.

I'm in school to become an addiction counselor. For one of my classes this semester, I was assigned a project on the topic of my choice regarding drug abuse and addiction prevention. The topic I decided on was darknet markets. So, in the interest of science, I would like your answers to a couple questions.

  1. First, your (approximate) age, race, sex, and occupation. Due to the nature of what we're discussing, I understand if you choose to not answer any or all of these things.

  2. Why do you use darknet markets?

  3. Has the existence of darknet markets increased your drug use, or the range of drugs you use?

  4. Have darknet markets had any impact on your community? (i.e. new drugs available from street dealers or street dealers being less common)

  5. Anything you feel I should know or bring up during my presentation.

I interviewed someone who used to be a vendor on SR and BMR and he brought up some interesting points regarding the harm reduction potential of drug availability, and I am curious as to what you all would have to say about these things.

Thanks for your time.


Comments


[3 Points] dnmatroska:

1.) 42 years old, black, female, bank teller.

2.) Because once you're out of high school/college and filling your role as a fine upstanding citizen who goes to work, pays their taxes, and never rolls through a stop sign, it's difficult to maintain a network of drug-using friends, much less drug-selling friends. Yes, with enough effort, I can find drugs do buy in real life, but it's too risky - mainly due to the stigma that comes from getting arrested and having to report that shit to employers etc.. (I wouldn't ever be in possession of a serious penalty quantity, and i have a spotless record, so not worried about prison so much). Not so much worried about crime, just having a miniscule amount of powder cause the US government to try and ruin my life. I'm also not worried about rape because I'm actually between the ages of 20 and 35, white and male like 95% of dnm users. If anyone claims to be female on here they are lying - there are no girls on the darknet.

3.) Increased amount and types. Fuckin A man, what do you think is the point? It's pretty amazing that I can literally have any drug that I can possibly think of delivered to my door by a US government employee within 2 weeks max. And bitch about it when it takes longer than 1 week! Your tax dollars at work paying people to investigate other people you pay your taxes to to deliver me drugs. It's the circle of life (I know all about that thanks to my African heritage, i.e. Lion King).

4.) I don't know who these fucking people are that have their finger on the pulse of their "community" such that they could possibly notice a god damn thing changing in the first place, much less attributing that change to something in particular. (That's a no)

5.) My addiction counselor told me it's important to express my feelings, and I feel you should tell them they're all a bunch of phonies, knock over the podium (or is the proper term lectern?), grab your crotch, point at the audience and say "fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you're cool, fuck you, I'm OUT!"


[2 Points] DOZENS_OF_BUTTS:

  1. Less than 30, older than 20, white, male, student.

  2. They're way better than street dealers. Pay super anonymously and have the drugs delivered right to your doorstep!

  3. Increased both use and range of drugs quite a bit.

  4. Whole bunch of assholes selling NBOMe tabs as real acid. Other than that, I haven't seen much. Seems most people in my area only use the markets for personal use.

  5. This is the future of drug buying. This is not a fad and this is not going away. Darknet markets have, in only a few years time, made the entire planet way, way more interconnected in terms of drug use and sale. It's no longer a chain from the top down to the street dealers, now anyone anywhere can just go buy any drug they want whenever they want! This is the future man, we have the technology!

You should also bring up the vendor review systems on the sites. This means dealers aren't operating on word of mouth and now dealers are much more accountable for the quality of their product and of their business ethics. If someone gets ripped off, there's a good chance the entire world will be able to see that in only a day or two. :)


[1 Points] Zapslap:

  1. 90 years old, Caucasian, Male, attending college
  2. Better quality, cheaper drugs
  3. Decreased drug use, increased range of drugs
  4. A lot of fuckers selling nbome as LSD, that's about it I believe
  5. Buying online has increased my life dramatically. Don't get robbed or threatened while buying more illicit drugs. Cheaper and easier, can find (almost) anything I want


[1 Points] dopelessfopefiend:

  1. 18-23. Caucasian male.

  2. Have been for ages. Better selection, higher purity, better deals, good opportunities. Every aspect of DNMs is better than traditional dealing and buying.

  3. No. It has made it easier and safer, though.

  4. Not that I have noticed.

  5. I have been buying (and then selling) over the "dark net" for years now. networks existed long before SR did. SR revolutionized it however, prior it was always on a need to know basis. Silk Road proved that online anonymous drug vending markets are viable. Not only that, but they are rapidly growing and are here to stay. Welcome to the future.


[1 Points] None:

  1. Late twenties, white guy, industrial know-it-all machine magician

  2. Because my friends can't get this stuff for me, and I don't buy from strangers. (unless they have awesome feedback)

  3. Yes and Yes. Honestly I have just gotten to scratch some very deep itches that have been bothering me for a while. It should be my right as a human being to try new stuff that hurts nobody and opens new neural pathways in my brain.

  4. No impact yet

  5. Hand out free bottled water. Let them get a few drinks deep and announce that the water was laced with LSD. Dance around like a fractal dragon expecting everyone to recoil in horror. When they don't, pretend to call "the guy" on your cell and ask if he gave you the right case of water. The guy says he contaminated his own water and became profoundly confused. One case went to that preschool and the other he put in your personal fridge. Turn around to see the faces of your audience melting of like rainbow comet tails at 30 degree angles from their skulls. Plot twist: there was never any acid.


[1 Points] HashishToker:

1.) 33, White, Male, Software Tech Support Assistant

2.) Ease of use and much safer than buying god knows what on the street. Range of choice as well, street dealers tend to have one strain/product. Where as the Darknet markets you can pick what you feel like.

3) Its increased the range of drugs i do, i dont do anything i haven't already tried before using a Darkmarket but it does mean i can get access to what i want when i want it, not just when a street dealer happens to have something in stock. I still exercise self control when it comes to these things, but i can see how some people would get carried away with constant access to what ever drug they want. If anything, i plan my drug use more as i know when i will get something and set time a side for it.

4.) Only impact its had on my community is my local corner shop now have to deal with me in different states of highness. I don't think you will ever see a real impact of Darknet markets on a street level. For starters the end product is always much cleaner on the dark market so the price is higher. At street level the price is low and end product normally crap. This isn't gonna change anytime unless every street user switchs to online buying, which they wont due to the cost being higher.

5.) I honestly do think this is the way forward for drug buying. The topic and issue of drug buying/using is never gonna go away, as long as people are about, drugs will be. The Internet just gives us people who want to explore these things in the safety of our own homes and harm no one but ourselves the chance to do just that. Of course there is always the stick 2 fingers up at the system feeling with this whole process, i mean come on, some random postal worker is getting paid to deliver you drugs to your door. I always have a small smile on my face when a package comes.

Anyway, good luck with your studies.