University of Tasmania
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

Drugs and the Internet

report
posted on 2023-05-25, 03:48 authored by Van Buskirk, J, Roxburgh, A, Raimondo BrunoRaimondo Bruno, Burns, L

To date the availability of illicit drugs in Australia has largely been examined through household surveys and interviews with people who use drugs; indicators such as drug seizures and arrests; and analyses of hospital admissions and drug-related deaths. However, over the past decade the Internet has developed as an additional source of information for discussion about and purchase of drugs (Walsh, 2011). In particular, the advent of the Silk Road in 2011 as an online marketplace, broadened out the availability of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and other more conventional illicit substances (such as cannabis and MDMA). After the closure of the Silk Road in October 2013, multiple new marketplaces emerged to take its place (Van Buskirk, Roxburgh, Farrell, & Burns, 2014a). Most recently the closure of Silk Road 2.0 and a large international law enforcement operation in November 2014 (dubbed Operation Onymous) have seen major changes in remaining dark web marketplaces.

This bulletin is the fourth in a series by the Drug Trends Unit that provides analysis of trends over time in the availability and type of substances sold via the internet to Australia. The current bulletin reports for the time period July 2014 to December 2014.

History

Commissioning body

Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

Pagination

14

Department/School

School of Psychological Sciences

Publisher

Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

Place of publication

Australia

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Public health (excl. specific population health) not elsewhere classified

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC