The number of drug sales on the darknet continues to increase at an alarming rate. Not just because it is becoming easier to access these platforms, but also due to anti-drug regulation. The United Kingdom approved a law to ban psychoactive substances, which have become one of the new hot commodities on the deep web in recent months.
If banning drugs would stop vendors and customers from dealing with narcotics, the world could be a better place right now. Unfortunately, that is not the way the cookie crumbles. In fact, banning something will only make people want it more, creating an adverse effect. With the darknet already being home to thousands of drug dealers, the UK government have just given them a freebie to create a new lucrative business model.
UK Law Creates Darknet Opportunities
In May of 2016, the UK government effectively started banning brain-enhancing substances. This includes the so-called nootropics, which allow users to stay focused for extended periods of time. On the other hand, the government was also quick to create a list of pre-approved substances, including nicotine and alcohol. This is not a surprise, as alcohol and nicotine are two primary sources of income tax for any government around the world.
While psychoactive substances are no longer available for sale over the counter, they are not hard to come by on the darknet. In fact, most of the sellers targeting UK customers seem to have stockpiled these substances, as they anticipated a growing demand. As a result of this ban, prices for psychoactive substances have spiked rather quickly.
It is important to note these substances were accessible through darknet marketplaces well before this prohibition. However, it will not only be the deep web vendors benefiting from this ban. Street dealers will start to offer these substances as well since there is no prosecution for possession of the narcotics.
As is the case with any form of drugs, there have been casualties among people who use psychoactive substances. It is a very potent drug, and a lot of first-timer will face some negative effects from taking it. Moreover, there are a lot of questions regarding how “safe’ they are, to begin with. In the UK, the ban was enforced due to a high number of deaths related to psychoactive substances.
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