Addiction is a serious problem in the United States, with over 21 million people being addicted to something that is affecting their daily lives. Of those 21 million people, only approximately 10 percent report receiving treatment and trying to overcome their addictions.
So, how do the other 90 percent of people cope with their addictions? Well, some of them are able to indulge their habits legally, whether that means buying alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or playing video games. Those who are addicted to drugs that can’t be obtained legally might have to turn to the black market. The black market is an underground economy that isn’t regulated by the government. It’s mostly associated with illegal goods and services, but while most people think it’s strictly the realm of criminals, it’s used by far more people than you might expect. In fact, any transaction that doesn’t pay employment tax is part of the black market, even if what is being sold is completely harmless. Some of these transactions are made “under the table” to avoid taxes or any government price controls, but other transactions take place because what is being sold is illegal. Naturally, this is the case with many addictive drugs.
Many addictive substances can be obtained through legal means. For example, Oxycontin can be prescribed by a doctor for pain relief even though it is notoriously addictive. However, it is incredibly difficult for many addicts to obtain such substances legally, which means that they have to turn to other means. In some cases, this could involve purchasing them from someone who has a way of obtaining them for the purpose of selling them to others. The sale of these drugs is still part of the black market. These days, much of the black market exists on the “dark web,” or the part of the Internet that isn’t indexed on search engines and is therefore much more difficult to monitor. Since the dark web is so much more difficult to monitor, many people use it to purchase drugs, weapons, and illegal services that range from prostitution to slave labor.
In many cases, going through the black market is the only way for someone to obtain drugs to feed an addiction. Law enforcement has cracked down on many of these hidden markets over the years, but as long as there are drug dealers who have a means of obtaining and selling addictive substances, the black market will likely never go away completely.