Surely not. The convenience that we crave in our 21st century lives seems to have reached a tipping point when class A drugs can be with me faster than a pizza. Well, this is expected to be one of the findings from the Global Drug Survey 2018 in relation to specific cities around the world, one of which will be London, along with New York and Berlin. The research will delve into the ease of access to the illicit drugs through sources such as encrypted messaging services, social media platforms and the dark web.
Changing Times
Trends in the types of drugs young people take has seen a change with prescription drugs and New Psychoactive Substances (Legal Highs) rising to prominence over the past few years. However, with the changes in drugs also comes a change in the supply. Seemly the days of meeting a stranger on a street corner or alleyway are dying as the Amazon model, providing delivery to your door after buying your goods through an online store has risen in prominence. The growing awareness of CCTV and security on the streets is driving both dealers and buyers to avoid the now unnecessary risk and move with the times, finding new ways of staying anonymous. The rise of the dark web with sites like Silk Road and use of Bitcoin have enabled dealers and buyers to remain behind the screens of smartphones and invest in premium delivery services, and anyone who may have used the likes of Amazon Prime or Now knows that a premium service is at times worth the additional cost.
Safety in Security?
For the past decade technology has been driving crime, including drug supply, to change the way it operates. The need for a fast, efficient service that can deliver to your door is the answer the world has provided for not only our weekly shop or Christmas presents, but also the things we don’t want the rest of the world to know about. Those providing the drugs are taking advantage of encrypted social media platforms that have recently won cases to not unsecure data in relation to terrorist attacks so the likelihood of them being made to do so for a case of drug dealing could be even less likely. With the ever-increasing need for stronger and more secure forms of encryption it seems like we could be reaching a point that drug dealers are the safest they have ever been as everything can be managed from no more than a secure smartphone or tablet.
Global Drug Survey 2018
Dr Adam R Winstock, the founder of the Survey, said “we decided to look at efficiency and speed of drug delivery across the world. And to make a symbolic comparison, we’re using pizzas as a benchmark and, cocaine as the test.”
This research will be only one part of the Global Drug Survey 2018 along with looking into how people lost their “Drug Virginity” and drug taking at festivals and much more. The survey includes responses from over 160,000 people from over 50 countries and the findings are expected to be published in May 2018. We will certainly be waiting eagerly for the findings.
The Recovery4Life Team
