ABSTRACT
Repressive laws affect the types of drugs people consume, and the manner in which they consume them. Punitive laws also affect the shape of the market itself. In the case of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the extremely punitive legal environment has inspired drug sellers and consumers to develop alternative spaces for the drug trade using darknet markets. For both sellers and customers, the darknet offers a reliable and easily accessible place to sell or purchase drugs while minimising risk of police attention. For harm reduction service providers, particularly those working in a context where the sharing of information on safer drug use is a crime, the darknet creates a new niche for providing services to hard-to-reach groups and a safer space for users to share peer support.
