Carmen Lim
C. Lim1,2,3, B. Cheng1, J. Leung1,3,4, W. Hall1, J. Connor1, C. Gartner5, R. Scheurer3, G. Chan1. 1Centre for Youth and Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia; 2Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia; 3Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, Australia; 4School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia; 5School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
Background: Recent deaths from vaping related lung injuries have generated concerns among clinicians and health authorities about users experimenting with recreational drugs through vaping. The new generation of vaping devices facilitate the vaping of substances, other than nicotine, such as cannabis oils and synthetic cannabis. Online cryptomarkets (marketplaces on the darknet) have been thriving in recent years as places where users can easily purchase a wide range of illicit substances. The aim of this study was to examine the range of vaping products available on online cryptomarkets. Methods: Vaping or e-liquid related listings were scraped from three online cryptomarkets of different sizes – ‘Agartha’ (a large size marketplace with over 70,000 substance listings), ‘Cryptonia’ (a medium size marketplace with approximately 12,000 substance listings), and ‘Tochka’ (a small size marketplace with 4,000 substance listings). Agartha and Cryptonia were established in 2019 and Tochka in 2015. Data were collected between October and November 2019. Results: We identified N= 1929 vaping related listings from N= 201 unique sellers. Sixty-eight percent of the products sold were cartridges with prefilled e-liquids. Other products found on the market included vape pens, and vape pods. The most common substance in these vaping products was cannabis oil (92%) followed by synthetic cannabinoids (5%) and psychedelic substances (1%). Other classes of drugs such as opium and benzodiazepines were found but these listings were rare (<2%). Most products were from US based sellers and could be shipped worldwide. Conclusion: Online cryptomarkets allow us to study the latest vaping trend including new psychoactive substances. Data from three cryptomarkets showed that listings were dominated by cannabis oils and synthetic cannabinoids. It is important to monitor activities on online cryptomarkets. These markets could thrive if stringent regulations or bans were imposed on the sales of e-cigarettes products by the FDA or state governments.