Drug adulteration and substitution within Australian cryptomarkets: An analysis of Test4Pay

Abstract

Prohibited drugs in unregulated markets are often adulterated, resulting in increased risks for consumers. This study investigated levels of drug adulteration and substitution in drugs purchased by Australians from cryptomarkets.Methods.Data were collected from the Dread subforum /d/Test4Pay from 1/9/2022 to 23/8/2023. Posts were included if they reported the results of drug samples submitted by post to the Vancouver-based Get Your Drugs Tested service, which uses Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with immunoassay strip tests (fentanyl and benzodiazepines).Results.Out of 103 samples, 65% contained only the advertised substance, 14% contained the advertised substance in combination with other psychoactive and/or potentially harmful substances, and for 21%, the advertised substance was absent. MDMA, methamphetamine and heroin were consistently found to contain only the advertised substance, while 2C-B, alprazolam and ketamine were the most likely to be completely substituted. Only one-fifth (21%) of cocaine samples contained solely the advertised substance, with 68% of the samples containing cocaine with adulterants like lidocaine, creatine, levamisole, and boric acid. No fentanyl contamination was detected. Different novel dissociatives and novel benzodiazepines were detected, as well as a nitazene compound.Discussion and Conclusions.Drug markets under prohibition continue to contain numerous unexpected substances, some of which can elevate risk of harm dramatically for consumers. Cryptomarkets are not immune to this problem, despite review systems which should in theory make vendors more accountable for the quality of their stock. An expansion of local drug checking services is urgently needed in the Australian context.

How accurate are drug cryptomarket listings by content, weight, purity and repeat purchase?

“…In terms of the practical implications of this work, we note that attempts by cryptomarket actors to self-regulate content and purity of drug listings have recently been reported (Barratt et al , 2024; Logie et al , 2023), whereby drug samples are sent to drug checking facilities and the results reported back to the market administration. If such a system were independent and implemented at scale, to the extent that vendors can control their supply, purity may become more consistent on cryptomarkets.…”