Ordering drugs off the dark web is nothing new in terms of news. Over the last several years, the online drug market has expanded more and more. Users are finding access to any drug imaginable – from fentanyl to vivitrol.
One of the biggest issues with this is the fact that on the black market, websites don’t require an age limit for purchase. You can acquire illegal substances at any stage in your life, provided you have the means to place the order.
In relation to the upsurge of black market purchases, there have also been a large number of overdoses. Even more disturbing, the age of deceased can go as low as 12-13. In some cases, the age is even lower.
For example, back in the fall of 2016, two young boys died from an overdose of opioids. The two boys, Grant Seaver and Ryan Ainsworth, were 13 when they passed away. After purchasing the synthetic opioids dubbed “U-47700” or “Pinky” from another local boy, the two snorted the powder and died from an overdose shortly after.
The local teenager that was linked to the overdoses admitted to purchasing the drugs off the dark web’s black market via Bitcoin.
New York Times explains the dangers of an opioid black market:
“Their deadly efficiency also makes them ideal for sale online. Unlike heroin and prescription painkillers, which are relatively bulky, enough fentanyl to get nearly 50,000 people high can fit in a standard first-class envelope.”
Despite the shutdown of the most popular black marketplace – the Silk Road – and the arrest of its creator, Ross Ulbricht, the problem is far from over. If anything, the Dread Pirate Robert’s arrest has only fueled other online users into opening up other means of illegal drug trading.
At the rate the black market is going right now, the rate of overdoses is likely to only rise in the upcoming years.