Content
The dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and is inaccessible through standard web browsers. It is often associated with illegal activities, including the sale of drugs. The cost of drugs on the dark web can vary greatly depending on several factors.
- While products sealed in mylar are hard to view through an X-ray, the concealer itself can raise suspicion.
- Hence, we also gathered snapshots of 5 underground marketplaces and 6 forums collected by the anonymous marketplace archives programs and previous research projects [20].
- Search engines devoted to drugs like Cannahome list tens of thousands of substances across multiple marketplaces.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Drugs on the Dark Web
Despite a steep decline in illicit drug usage in the earlier years, drug use in the U.S. is climbing again and more quickly than ever. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the number of illicit drug users rose to 13% of Americans 12 years or older in 2019, nearly reaching its peak from 40 years ago. If the goal of the war on drugs was to decrease drug usage and prevent drug-related deaths, it hasn’t made much progress. Medi-Span Price Rx is the industry’s leading online drug pricing reference and analytical tool designed to help meet the demanding requirements of healthcare businesses. It provides quick access to widely used Medi-Span drug pricing content, plus analysis tools to help you strengthen your business decisions.
THE MARKET
Several factors can affect the cost of drugs on the dark web, including:
- The type of drug
- The quality of the drug
- The location of the seller and buyer
- The level of competition among sellers
Type of Drug
The type of drug being sold is one of the most significant factors affecting its cost on the dark web. For example, heroin is generally more expensive than marijuana due to its higher production costs and greater risk of detection.
Quality of the Drug
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The quality of the drug can also affect its cost on the dark web. Higher-quality drugs are often more expensive than lower-quality ones. For example, cocaine that is 90% pure will typically cost more than cocaine that is only 50% pure.
Location of the Seller and Buyer
The deep web is the unindexed, largely unsearchable part of the internet that lies behind login credentials or other access protocols. The dark web is a subset of the deep web, and it’s encrypted and you need special tools or equipment to access it. Darknet crime is growing in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, as desperate youth pay more experienced dark web criminals for guidance. And increased censorship around the world is driving more and more people into the dark web, where some information can be easier to find. It’s hard to know exactly how many people use the dark web, since anonymous browsing is what it does best, but Tor’s internal metrics reveal that around 4-5 million people use the dark web every day. Meanwhile, in 2000, Ian Clarke and a group of internet volunteers developed Clarke’s graduate thesis about “A Distributed, Decentralised Information Storage and Retrieval System” into “Freenet,” the world’s first decentralized peer-to-peer network.
The location of the seller and buyer can also impact the cost of drugs on the dark web. For example, drugs may be more expensive in countries where they are heavily regulated or where there is a high demand for them. Additionally, shipping costs can also affect the final price of the drug.
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But no matter the cost, it’s seems to be almost always a positive return on investment for cybercriminals. According to PrivacyAffairs, a hacker can steal thousands of dollars per 1000 installations. With the increasing popularity of online services such as banking, streaming, shopping, and the like, it’s no surprise that cybercrime is also booming. And where is it easier to get illegal things like drugs, weapons, stolen accounts, and data other than on the Dark Web?
Level of Competition Among Sellers
The level of competition among sellers can also impact the cost of drugs on the dark web. In markets where there are many sellers, prices may be lower due to competition. However, in markets where there are few sellers, prices may be higher due to a lack of competition.
Typical Costs of Drugs on the Dark Web
But since then, countless successors have popped up, making the drugs readily available to tens of thousands of customers who would not otherwise have had access to them. In our empirical analysis, we take into account that cannabis prices may be affected by quantity discounts, i.e. by the quantities offered and by several characteristics of offers and country. The cannabis-quality characteristics we take into account in our analysis are whether the cannabis strain on offer was placed in the so-called Cannabis Cup competition and its THC content. We also control for electricity prices, since cannabis is usually produced indoors, which requires significant amounts of electricity to power lamps used as a substitute for natural sunlight. And, we account for GDP per capita, as well as for legal status of cannabis in the seller’s origin country.
While the cost of drugs on the dark web can vary greatly, here are some typical costs for popular drugs:
- Marijuana: $5 – $10 per gram
- Cocaine: $50 – $100 per gram
- Heroin: $100 – $200 per gram
- Ecstasy: $5 – $10 per pill
- LSD: $5 – $10 per tab
It’s important to note that these prices are only estimates and can vary greatly depending on the factors mentioned earlier.
Conclusion
The cost of drugs on the dark web can vary greatly depending on several factors, including the type of drug, quality, location, and competition among sellers. While the dark web may seem like a convenient way to obtain drugs, it’s important to remember that purchasing drugs online is illegal and carries significant risks, including the risk of arrest, violence, and receiving low-quality or dangerous drugs.
