Key findings:

• From 2014 to 2017, there have been significant increases in the percentage of EDRS participants who purchased drugs online in their lifetime (14% to 22%; p<0.001) and in the past year (11% to 16%; p=0.003).
• The majority (81%; n=102) of those purchasing online reported purchasing drugs from darknet markets.
• From 2014-2017, there has been an increase in the percentage of darknet purchasers purchasing exclusively from Australian vendors (28% vs. 38%), whilst the percentage purchasing from international vendors has remained stable (41% vs. 38%).
• MDMA (48%) was the most commonly reported drug purchased online, followed by LSD (29%), cannabis (18%), and any form of NPS (15%).
• The vast majority (93%; n=731) of the EDRS participants sampled (n=786) in 2017 reported having heard of the darknet (compared to 85% in 2016).

Resources

• EDRS_DEC_2017_FINAL.PDF