Use of ‘dark net’ growing, says UN world drug report

MANILA, Philippines - The use of the so-called “dark net” by buyers and sellers of illegal drugs on the Internet has been growing, according to the latest United Nations World Drug Report.

The 2014 report of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC ) said dark net is a virtual marketplace inaccessible by web search, with the identities of website owners and users hidden by sophisticated concealment methods, making it difficult for law enforcement authorities to go after them.

“That makes the dark net a safe haven for buyers and sellers of illicit drugs,” the report said. The report cited Silk Road, a prominent dark net site that was recently dismantled, which was found to have earned around $1.2 billion from two to five years of operations.

The UN World Drug Report provides an annual overview of the major developments in drug markets from production to trafficking, including development of new routes and modalities, as well as consumption.

“Global drug use has stabilized, but some 200,000 people are still victims of drug-related deaths,” the report said.

It is estimated that in 2012 alone, between 162 million and 324 million people – 3.5 percent and 7 percent of the world population aged 15 to 64 – had used an illicit drug at least once.

The main substances of abuse belong to the cannabis, opioid, cocaine or amphetamine-type stimulants group.

Up to 39 million people are regular drug users, the report added.

UNODC executive director Yury Fedotov called for stronger focus on the health and human rights of all drug users, particularly the intravenous drug users and those infected with HIV.

“There remain serious gaps in service provision. In recent years, only one in six drug users globally has had access to or received drug dependence treatment services each year,” he said.

Fedotov said success in drug control require firm international commitment. A balanced and comprehensive approach addressing both supply and demand should be backed up by evidence-based responses focusing on prevention, treatment, social rehabilitation and integration, he said.

He said controlled substances should be made more widely available for medical purposes, including ensuring access to pain medication, while preventing their misuse and diversion for illicit ends.