A new study has just confirmed what anyone who lives within spitting distance of a Wetherspoons smoking area on a Friday night already knows – when it comes to drink and drugs, the UK ‘does not do things in moderation.’ According to The 2014 Global Drugs Survey, more drug users than ever are buying drugs online – including both legal highs and illegal drugs like cocaine, cannabis and MDMA. Their reasoning? The quality is better, there is more choice and it's more convenient. The survey, the largest ever of its kind, questioned 80,000 drug users from 43 countries and found that the UK is more hedonistic than any other country polled. 73.8 per cent of British respondents admit to using at least one illegal drug in the past 12 months. However, good old alcohol is still the the most popular drug, followed by tobacco – then we get into the illegal substances, with cannabis in third place.
Silk Road – aka 'Amazon for drugs' – was the best-known online black marketplace for purchasing drugs online before it was shut down last year (60 per cent of those surveyed were familiar with the Silk Road site, and of this 60 per cent, 44 per cent admitted to using the site), but savvy drug users have since found alternative ways to purchase drugs online using bitcoins retain their anonyminity (no, still don't understand how they work either). The most common drug purchased online was cannabis, followed by MDMA, LSD and ketamine. Dr Adam Winstock, a consultant addictions psychiatrist in London and director of the survey had this to say about the results:
‘The fact that 44 per cent of respondents who had bought drugs online said they'd done it for the first time recently indicates there is growing recruitment. It is currently a minority way to get drugs, but the reasoning mimics the growth in e-commerce – we buy things online because it is convenient, cheap, and there is a better product range.’
And if Brits take illegal drugs the same way we drink – aka to excess– this emerging market is one to watch. As Winstock puts it: ‘The UK just does not do things in moderation. We come out as some of the largest drug takers, consuming a broader range of drugs that are reasonably cheap. Many countries are clueless about alcohol, but the UK and Ireland are the most clueless. People just have no idea when they are drinking at very dangerous levels."
We predict a million E-commerce and eBay headlines…
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophiecullinane
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.