Identification of Cannabis Product Characteristics and Pricing on Dark Web Markets

Growing cannabis use has made it the most widely cultivated and trafficked illicit drug globally according to the World Health Organization, with 147 million people consuming cannabis-derived products (CDPs) in various product forms and constituency. Despite restrictions in certain countries, unregulated access can still be found on the dark web which specializes in trafficking of illicit goods. The objective was to systematically collect data from multiple marketplaces to identify types of cannabis products offered for sale. The study was conducted in three phases: (1) data mining transactions on dark web markets using cannabis and tobacco keywords; (2) inductive coding of selling-related characteristics; and (3) pricing analysis of one marketplace based on product type, shipping, and cannabis policy status. Four dark web markets (Archetyp, Incognito, Royal, and Wethenorth) yielded 2,954 selling posts. The top 3 products based on keyword searches included CDPs (n = 2629, 89%), illicit and prescription drugs (n = 223, 7.55%), and psychedelics (n = 102, 3.45%). For Archetyp listings, cannabis concentrates pricing had a statistically significant difference in average price p/mg when shipped from a country with a complete prohibition. The dark web represents an unregulated digital space where numerous CDPs are sold and shipped to various countries at different prices.