"The increasing availability of potent substances such as opioids on the Dark Web indicates that the current drug policies are ineffective. Criminalizing drug use facilitates opportunities for illicit drug markets to operate both on the streets and online, including highly elusive spaces like the Dark Web. As found in this study, despite efforts to curb the availability of illicit substances on the Dark Web, cryptomarkets list these substances for sale in abundance. The harms associated with the illicit drug trade may be mitigated by decriminalization of substance use and the availability of a regulated safe supply of psychoactive substances."

Source

Sudan HK, Tai AMY, Kim J, Krausz RM. Decrypting the cryptomarkets: Trends over a decade of the Dark Web drug trade. Drug Science, Policy and Law. 2023;9. doi:10.1177/20503245231215668.