The study, funded by the Polish National Science Centre under the OPUS 22 programme, examines how digital infrastructures—including messaging apps and darknet markets—are reshaping access to psychoactive substances in Poland and internationally.

‘The internet is now part of everyday life's infrastructure, so we are examining how access to psychoactive substances functions in this space’, Siuda said.

Researchers identified a growing gap in digital education, arguing that traditional prevention models do not reflect how drug markets now operate. They call for expanding addiction prevention to include media literacy, focusing on data security, encryption and how trust is built online.

‘Young people should understand that applications are not neutral tools, but a part of risk infrastructure, and data management is now part of security management’, Siuda said.

The project involved researchers from multiple institutions, including the University of Opole, Civitas University, University of Edinburgh and Tampere University.

The analysis shows that the online drug trade operates as a complex ecosystem rather than a single market. Researchers examined so-called “commerce ecologies” across different platforms, including darknet environments such as Tsatti in Finland, the Polish forum Cebulka and the international cryptomarket Nemesis.

Messaging platforms, particularly Telegram, are increasingly central to this ecosystem. The app’s accessibility, pseudonymity and perceived privacy make it a common entry point for transactions.

‘It is not complete technical anonymity, but it provides many users with a sufficient sense of control’, Siuda said.

Researchers describe this phenomenon as “hyperavailability”, where drug markets are constantly accessible in users’ daily digital environments. Initial contact and negotiation typically occur online, while transactions are often completed offline in person.

‘Interviewees described common, street-level practices: a quick meeting, a handover, and that's it’, Siuda said.

This has led to the emergence of “hybrid online/offline markets”, where digital tools reorganise rather than replace traditional street-level trade.

By contrast, darknet markets—accessible via tools such as the Tor browser—offer more formalised systems, including rating mechanisms and cryptocurrency payments, allowing transactions to take place entirely online without direct contact.

‘A single message separates a potential customer from a dealer. Offers circulate across channels, you can compare prices and write at any time’, the researcher said.

However, messaging platforms were found to be more vulnerable to fraud than structured darknet marketplaces.

The study also highlights that users frequently overestimate their level of online security.

‘They believe in full privacy protection, even though chats are not always encrypted, and data can be processed in ways users do not understand’, Siuda said.

Researchers conducted interviews with both messaging app users and darknet participants, noting clear differences in attitudes toward anonymity. While darknet users prioritised strict anonymity, messaging app users often treated transactions as part of routine digital activity.

‘Substance trading increasingly ceases to look like something hidden in the shadows, but like one of many services in everyday digital life’, Siuda said.

He warned that prevention strategies based on outdated models are unlikely to be effective.

‘If prevention is based on a decade-old threat model, it will not be adequate to the realities in which young users operate today’, he said.

PAP - Science in Poland, Anna Mikołajczyk-Kłębek (PAP)

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tr. RL