Drug adulteration and substitution within Australian cryptomarkets: An analysis of Test4Pay
Monica J Barratt, Matthew Ball, Gabriel T. W. Wong, A Quinton
September 21, 2023 DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/n7mze (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 103 |
| Population | Drug samples purchased from Australian cryptomarkets and submitted for testing |
| Duration | 1/9/2022 to 23/8/2023 |
| Measures | Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), immunoassay strip tests (fentanyl and benzodiazepines) |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | 65% of samples contained only the advertised substance, 14% contained it with other substances, and 21% were completely substituted. Cocaine was frequently adulterated (68% with lidocaine, creatine, levamisole, boric acid), while MDMA, methamphetamine, and heroin were consistently pure. No fentanyl was detected, but novel psychoactive substances and a nitazene compound were present. |
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.