- In Poland, you wait for your mephedrone delivery like you would for a pizza – it comes in less time than it takes for the police to arrive. Without leaving the house, anyone can buy almost any drug. Channels on the Russian Telegram app advertise the services of hundreds of dealers across the country.
- Two popular Polish platforms are also used for online drug dealing: parcel lockers and BLIK payments. Last year alone, parcel locker provider InPost discovered half a ton of drugs in shipments.
- Both platforms are aware of the problem. Although they cooperate with the police, their control over who sends what through them is limited.
- We have investigated the scale of the phenomenon: it is huge. We found hundreds of thousands of advertisements for the sale of drugs.
- The online trade epidemic is claiming lives, but the police catch dealers randomly or not at all. Some police stations do not see the problem. The authorities have no plan on how to deal with the situation.
Legalise it, make it available from certified/controlled, reputable locations, provide guidance and information on what the drugs are, their effects, recommended dosage, dangers, and where to get help in case of issues (addiction or otherwise). Consumers should be able to know what they’re buying, whether the seller is certified, and who produced it. Sellers could even have a legal obligation to check the product before sale.
For especially addictive drugs, make them available only with a prescription or some other kind of legal hurdle e.g it must be taken under supervision of a trained professional in a known safe area. And of course add an age limit to those drugs that have proven, strong, adverse effects on development.
It will take work, research, and time, but I’m certain it will be better than the current system.Better for users, dealers, law enforcement, and society.