Drugs and the internet

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. Over the past decade there has been an increasing awareness and interest in online marketplaces as a source for discussion about and purchase of drugs (Walsh, 2011). 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). In the wake of the closure of the Silk Road in October 2014, new internet marketplaces have since emerged to take its place (Van Buskirk, Roxburgh, Farrell, & Burns, 2014).

This bulletin is the third in a series by Drug Trends 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 December 2013 to May 2014.