Shots – Health News
The Most Expensive Drug in the Black Market
The illegal drug trade is a complex and lucrative industry that spans the globe. Within this expansive market, certain substances stand out not only for their effects but also for their astonishing prices. Among these, the most expensive drug in the black market commands attention due to its rarity, potency, and the dangers associated with its use.
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CURLF) is a leading company that produces and distributes cannabis products across 23 states in America. The cheapest eighth-ounce at one of Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CURLF)’s three dispensaries in New Jersey costs $50 before taxes. Earlier this year, Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CURLF) announced the closure of the majority of its operations in California, Colorado, and Oregon, because these markets have already reached maturity and thus have very low prices and very high competition. The ongoing economic crisis matched with depreciating currency, reliance on foreign currency for drugs, reduction in subsidies, and severely reduced healthcare budget have all impacted drug prices in Lebanon. Consequently, the current five-year average (2019–22) suggests Lebanon will see the greatest price hikes of any Middle Eastern country and is unlikely to improve soon. While advocates of drug legalization agree that the so-called war on drugs is doomed to failure, they do not agree on how drugs should be legalized.
Factors Contributing to the High Price
The determination of the price of drugs on the black market often hinges on several crucial factors:
For every dollar spent on an evidence-based crime reduction or prevention program, several dollars are saved down the road in enforcement and correctional expenditures. One of the most successful prevention programs known is the Nurse Family Partnership program. The experience is generally viewed as an excessive punishment that does not fit the crime which often leads to offenders (and people close to them) to lose faith and trust in the criminal justice system. This is important because the system cannot effectively do its job if it does not have the support of the public. One of the more damaging effects of an arrest is the harm caused by introducing an otherwise law-abiding pot smoker into the formal criminal justice process.
- Rarity: Some drugs are difficult to produce or are derived from rare plants, making them scarce.
- Purity: Highly purified forms of drugs that deliver potent effects usually come at a premium.
- Legal risks: The potential for hefty jail sentences deters supply, driving prices higher.
- Demand: The more individuals seek a particular drug, the higher the price can become.
The drug probably would have never been tested in cats, if not for the fact that Niels Pedersen, a longtime FIP researcher at UC Davis, personally knew the former chief scientific officer of Gilead. The two met 30 years ago, when Gilead was testing antiviral HIV drugs in monkeys and Pedersen was working at a primate research center. A colleague of his warned me, lovingly, that Pedersen was “irascible,” and he was difficult to get on the phone. But his voice softened when he talked about taming those barn cats and finding homes for their kittens.
Changing lives by providing comprehensive support and rehabilitation, empowering individuals to overcome addiction and regain control of their health and well-being. Choose recovery and take control of your life, it’s the path to a brighter future filled with health, happiness, and fulfillment. Thank you for your interest in supporting Kaiser Health News (KHN), the nation’s leading nonprofit newsroom focused on health and health policy. We distribute our journalism for free and without advertising through media partners of all sizes and in communities large and small. We appreciate all forms of engagement from our readers and listeners, and welcome your support. As depicted in Fig 1F, the most expensive psychiatric drug in April 2023 was clozapine at 1,606,470 LBP (17.0 USD) followed by lithium carbonate at 1,169,533 LBP (12.4 USD).
Others, like the Colombian drug cartel exporting stuffed animals out of Los Angeles, utilize trade-based money laundering. The only thing people can do to lower the cost is to grow their own cannabis and face the fear of prosecution if caught. Philippines drug laws are among the harshest in the world, with death penalties for possessing even a small amount of cannabis.
Serious side effects different from those of marijuana have been reported, such as severe bleeding, possible death, and mind-altering effects. Furthermore, synthetic cannabinoids can cause addiction and withdrawal symptoms. It is crucial to understand that synthetic cannabinoids are not the same as natural marijuana and can have unpredictable and dangerous consequences. Gaps in health insurance for people with type 1 diabetes have been well-documented, but Mizokami-Stout said she suspects under-insurance plays a larger role. When patients purchase from an online pharmacy, it’s difficult to know if prepackaged unopened medications are authentic, especially if the pharmacy isn’t licensed to do business in the United States.
Examples of Expensive Drugs
In addition, online black markets are under pressure from authorities and may blink in and out of existence without warning, adding additional difficulty for data collection. Although street price data are collected by local law enforcement, they have only occasionally been reported at a national level and are rarely made available for public health research [22]. The standard federal government source for this information, the Department of Justice’s National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), was closed in June 2012 as part of a broader realignment of federal drug policy with no notice of future data availability. Prescription opioid diversion and abuse are major public health issues in the United States and internationally. Street prices of diverted prescription opioids can provide an indicator of drug availability, demand, and abuse potential, but these data can be difficult to collect. Crowdsourcing is a rapid and cost-effective way to gather information about sales transactions.
Bitcoin prices were converted to US dollars using the weighted average price posted on a Bitcoin exchange website on the day the sale was posted to Silk Road [41]. The exchange rate between Bitcoin and US dollars during October 2012 was approximately 11 BTC to 1 USD. A subject matter expert (author CM) manually collected (“scraped”) prices per milligram for prescription opioids in the “Opioids” section from October 1 through October 31, 2012, and collected these data on a standardized electronic data collection form. Only posts that specified that the product would be shipped from the United States were scraped. No data cleaning steps were performed and no effort was made to purchase the drugs online. No “stealth listings” (unsearchable and unlinked listings that are accessible only by buyers who have been given the URL) were scraped.
While various substances compete for the title of the most expensive drug in the black market, a few consistently emerge as frontrunners:
- Carfentanil: A synthetic opioid used as a tranquilizer for large animals, it is exceptionally potent and can lead to overdose at minuscule doses. Its rarity in the illegal market commands prices exceeding $50,000 per kilogram.
- Gold Flake MDMA: This luxury version of ecstasy is infused with actual gold flakes, making it both extravagant and expensive. Prices can reach up to $3,000 per gram.
- Crystal Meth: Pure crystal methamphetamine can sell for around $20,000 per kilogram, depending on the location and purity.
- Ketamine: Originally developed as an anesthetic, its popularity in recreational settings drives prices up to $300 per gram in the black market.
Consequences of High Prices
The exorbitant costs associated with the most expensive drug in the black market lead to various consequences:
- The most obvious case is regulating access to drugs by adolescents and young adults.
- In 2023, cardiovascular drugs (4.24%) and diabetes drugs (21.03%) were the most and least affordable, respectively.
- “If you have an insulin pump that talks to your continued glucose monitors, then you can’t use that, either.
- And this smuggling is occurring too quickly and toofrequently for law enforcement to handle, says Sgt. Ray Kelly of the AlamedaCounty Sheriff’s Office.
- Increased crime: As prices rise, so does the incentive for criminal activity to obtain these substances.
- Health risks: Users may resort to unsafe methods of obtaining or using these drugs, leading to higher rates of addiction and overdose.
- Market volatility: The black market is subject to rapid changes in price due to supply chain disruptions or law enforcement crackdowns.
FAQs
What is the most common way people obtain these expensive drugs?
Many individuals turn to dealers operating in urban areas or online dark web marketplaces, where anonymity is prioritized.
Why do people pay such high prices for illegal drugs?
The exhilarating effects, escapism, or even a sense of luxury associated with certain substances can drive individuals to pay top dollar, often overlooking the risks.
Are there legal alternatives to these expensive drugs?
Yes, there are often legal medications that serve similar purposes, but they may not provide the same experience, leading some users to seek illegal options.
In conclusion, the quest for the most expensive drug in the black market reveals a disturbing intersection of human desire, legality, and ethics. Understanding this dynamic sheds light on larger societal issues surrounding addiction, crime, and public health.
