07-07-2015, 02:32 PM
Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road and the man who's become synonymous with
internet drug sales, recently found out that he'd be spending the rest of his life in jail . During his sentencing, the judge told him that what he did with Silk Road was "terribly destructive to our social fabric." His lawyers are currently appealing the verdict, but Ulbricht remains behind bars for now.
Of course, there are plenty of other dark-web marketplaces dealing in illegal goods—and in
fact, there's a theory that says that despite the
dangers of the substances they sell, these illegal pharmacies might actually be preventing harm to users and society as a whole.
The reasoning is twofold: When they sell their product online, drug dealers no longer need to fight each other out for territory, and by moving their business online and constantly being rated by those using their products, dealers must monitor the quality of their gear.
In turn, the reviews allow users to read about the potency and recommended dosage, something you're probably not going to get from the kind of street dealer who texts you routinely throughout the week with, "Fat Busting Bags of MD ** Best Party Powder in Town ** Don't Forget to Holla :p".
These theories, however, were completely
speculative—until now.
The Global Drug Survey 2015, led by specialist Dr. Adam Winstock, questioned over 100,000 people worldwide about their experiences when it came to buying drugs on deep-web marketplaces.
Only a small number of participants (roughly 5,000) had actually used sites like Silk Road, but that still makes it the largest study of dark web users to date.
Forty percent of the dark web shoppers
surveyed say they've been sold drugs by a
street dealer that turned out to be something
other than what they'd expected. Only 10
percent of those who've bought online had
shared similar experiences.
In general, users reported online prices to be lower, the quality to be higher, and the experience to be much safer.
They also claimed to make fewer impulse
purchases and only bought the amount they
needed, rather than buying in bulk.
Read Full Story Here
internet drug sales, recently found out that he'd be spending the rest of his life in jail . During his sentencing, the judge told him that what he did with Silk Road was "terribly destructive to our social fabric." His lawyers are currently appealing the verdict, but Ulbricht remains behind bars for now.
Of course, there are plenty of other dark-web marketplaces dealing in illegal goods—and in
fact, there's a theory that says that despite the
dangers of the substances they sell, these illegal pharmacies might actually be preventing harm to users and society as a whole.
The reasoning is twofold: When they sell their product online, drug dealers no longer need to fight each other out for territory, and by moving their business online and constantly being rated by those using their products, dealers must monitor the quality of their gear.
In turn, the reviews allow users to read about the potency and recommended dosage, something you're probably not going to get from the kind of street dealer who texts you routinely throughout the week with, "Fat Busting Bags of MD ** Best Party Powder in Town ** Don't Forget to Holla :p".
These theories, however, were completely
speculative—until now.
The Global Drug Survey 2015, led by specialist Dr. Adam Winstock, questioned over 100,000 people worldwide about their experiences when it came to buying drugs on deep-web marketplaces.
Only a small number of participants (roughly 5,000) had actually used sites like Silk Road, but that still makes it the largest study of dark web users to date.
Forty percent of the dark web shoppers
surveyed say they've been sold drugs by a
street dealer that turned out to be something
other than what they'd expected. Only 10
percent of those who've bought online had
shared similar experiences.
In general, users reported online prices to be lower, the quality to be higher, and the experience to be much safer.
They also claimed to make fewer impulse
purchases and only bought the amount they
needed, rather than buying in bulk.
Read Full Story Here