Darknet Market Usage Among Swedish Residents

Abstract

Background: The aim of the study is to look at what Swedish residents are buying on darknet markets and why they use them, as well as to get an idea of what types of people use it. Sweden has very strict drug laws, that for example state, that being under the influence of an illegal substance is a punishable offense, this could make the use of legal drugs appealing to drug users in Sweden. Design and settings: Global Drug Survey: purposive sample collected between the 9th of November 2014 and the 3rd of January 2015. Participants: Swedish residents (n=570, median age 23, 88.9% male) who had used darknet markets (n=129) as well as those who had bought legal highs/research chemicals during the last 12 months (n=51). Measurements: Online questionnaire. Findings: The use of legal drugs was not common. The most popular purchases were MDMA, cannabis, and LSD. There seems to be a trend for psychedelic substances with young Swedish darknet users, especially with LSD. Conclusions: It was expected that sales of legal drugs or drugs that are not tested on standard drug tests, would be more popular in sales on darknet markets than the classic drugs, given the legal environment in Sweden, this did not seem to be the case.