1. Results of an international drug testing service for cryptomarket users
Mireia Ventura· ABD – Energy Control
15th May 2017

2. Energy Control’s Drug Checking
Our drug checking service has analysed almost samples, mainly recreational drugs suchas cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines.

3. International Drug Checking ServiceaC
Between March 2014 to May 2017 we analyzed 2,627 samples, purchased from more than 50 countries

4. Why work with Cryptomarkets?
A tool for advice and harm reduction
A public health perspective
An opportunity for research

5. Comparative traditional markets vs cryptomarkets
34 months period of study
(March 2014-December 2016)
samples analyzed
1.737 samples from Deep Web (11,47%)
samples from traditional markets (88,53%)
Subsample studied (n=9.103). Most analyzed drugs
Deep Web Samples
Traditional Market Samples
TOTAL
Cocaine
193
2689
2882
Speed
196
1851
2047
MDMA
269
2741
3010
LSD
126
465
591
Ketamine 58
515
573
842
8261
9.103

6. Analyzed substances by type of market
Between March 2014 to May 2017 we analyzed 2,627 samples, purchased from more than 50 countries

7. NPS in Deep web markets
Number of users purchasing NPS from cryptomarkets is high.
Source: Alphabay
Source: Alphabay
Deep web Markets seem to be the place where NPS can be sold in countries where they are banned.

8. Ecstasy: purities in both markets
The adulteration of Ecstasy is pretty low in the Deep web, specially when is sold in Pills.
In the case of MDMA the Deep Web seems to be much more effective when it comes to reacting to Warnings than traditional markets.

9. Cocaine: purities in both markets
Cocaine samples are highly adulterated in both markets although purity seems higher in cryptomarkets.
Deep web samples purity drop in The last year purity levels rose in both markets reducing the differences between both of them.

10. Speed: purities in both markets
Purity levels of amphetamine in 2014 in the Deep Web were much higher.
However, they dropped in the next two years and reached lower levels than traditional market (that remained more stable)

11. LSD: purities in both markets
Purity in LSD seems higher, in general trends, in Cryptomarkets
However, LSD seems to show different tendencies in both markets compared with other drugs.

12. Ketamine: purities in both markets
The amount of Ketamine samples purchased in the Deep Web is low compared with other drugs. However, purity seems higher.
The reported case of Ketamine scarcity in 2015 shows how both traditional and cryptomarkets were affected in similar ways.

13. Warnings in the deep web

14. Conclusions
The deep web offers a good environment in which professionals have great challenges to implement risk reduction strategies. Cryptomarkets are a new phenomenon, therefore we can only observe short trends in the composition of drugs (and these are different for every drug).
The most analyzed drugs are the ones most consumed at parties. However, number of users purchasing NPS from cryptomarkets is high.
In general terms, the proportion of tainted samples is lower in Cryptomarkets compared with traditional markets. There are exceptions such as amphetamine in 2016 or LSD in 2015, where levels of purity in the Deep Web dropped under levels of traditional markets.
In the case of MDMA the Deep Web seems to be much more effective when it comes to reacting to Warnings than traditional markets. That is probably the reason why there is very little adulteration detected in Pills sold in Cryptomarkets.
Speed and Cocaine are the most adulterated substances. In the case of cocaine, most adulterants are highly toxic.
The reported case Ketamine scarcity in 2015 shows how both traditional and cryptomarkets were affected in similar ways.

15. Thanks! Contact Mireia Ventura mireia@energycontrol.org
With the collaboration of:
With the support of: