age and gender, its average patrons are males ranging in age from approximately 16 to 40 years old, as is the case with many online drug forums.
The study noted that people flock to the site to share their varying levels of self-proclaimed “expertise,” to seek out how to maximize their experience with whatever drugs they have available, as well as to simply learn about drugs and their effects. People often use resources like Dopeinfo to find drugs; the darknet has also become a popular underground network for people to locate and purchase drugs.
The researchers concluded that the modern perception of the body and mind as a place for medical experimentation is directly responsible for the increase in harm caused by the use of pharmaceutical drugs. The normalization of pharmaceuticals in our day-to-day lives has prompted people to view experimentation as a harmless learning experience. Ronka also noted that people tend to overestimate the legitimacy of online information as well as their ability to handle a drug.
Author: Katherine Beigel
Katherine Beigel is a general assignment reporter for Addiction Now. She covers topics including demographics, scientific studies, and human interest stories related to addiction and addiction recovery. Contact Katherine at katherineb@drugaddictionnow.com
