Languages:
Reflecting developments elsewhere, both new psychoactive substances and established drugs are being offered for sale on the surface and deep web, although the extent to which this occurs is unknown. Bearing in mind that in most other fields of commerce, consumer activity is moving from physical to online marketplaces, online drug markets may become an important area for focusing monitoring activity in the future. Another development relates to drug supply and the sharing of drugs or drug experiences via social media, including mobile apps. This area remains both poorly understood and difficult to monitor.
In parallel, there is also a growing trend for both drug and sexual health services to use the Internet and applications as platforms for delivering services. Information provision on drugs, prevention programmes and outreach services are, in varying degrees, relocating from physical spaces to virtual environments with many drug treatment programmes now accessible to both new and existing target groups.
These developments are also a challenging area for drug control policies, as developments can occur rapidly, such as the introduction of new marketplaces and cryptocurrencies. Existing regulatory models will need to be adapted to perform in a global and virtual context. More...
