The Threat of a Darknet Economy

This year the State of Colorado gained world’s attention when it became world’s first state –licensed place for marijuana business. Drug business across the world is growing every year causing greater threat to the entire humanity. In 2012 itself around 1, 90000 deaths were reported due to drug abuse, that too between the age group 15-64. Another alarming data is that, in the same year nearly 324 million people in 15-64 age groups used one at least illicit drug once.

Around 39 million people have regular drug usage and having physical and psychological problems while only one in six of them have an access to medical facilities. The number of people who injects the drug will come around 13 million, which is 0.64% of the population aged 15-64. One amazing fact is that most of the drug users are from Eastern and South- Eastern Europe.

It is very shocking to know that 14% of the drug addicts are infected with HIV due to the use of shared syringes. Majority of such HIV patients are from South-West Asia and Eastern and South- Eastern Europe. More than half of these drug addicts are infected with Hepatitis C also. Prevention services are on the progress to reduce the threat and prevent the HIV, few of the components of these services are Needle and Syringe Programs, Opioid Substitution Therapy, HIV testing and counseling and Antiretroviral Therapy.

The list of problem drug includes Opiates and Opioids, Cocaine and Cannabis since these drugs cause majority of deaths related to drug addiction. Afghanistan, the country which is the major producer of opium poppy cultivation, started more cultivation in more geographical area and Myanmar is the next country which produces maximum opium. Opium is cultivated in 3, 00000 hectares of land all around the world. Even though the strict laws against drug business have reduced the scope of drug business in European markets, smuggling is very frequent in Pakistan, Middle East Africa to Europe.

Rate of seizures are also increasing all over the world, with that the price of drugs are becoming cheaper and they are more available. Due to this synthetic drugs are also available in the market. Darknet which is the drug economy is booming through the virtual market places, Silk Road, which the most prominent drug selling site, has around 14,000 drugs listed in their website and the whole Darknet drug economy has listed 75% of drugs. Even after the seizures this web market places function and if one is forced to closed down today then another interface pops up fast , maybe for a reassurance for its loyal buyers.