The Coronavirus crisis is affecting all markets – some are on the losing end such as airlines and travel agencies but others are striving – such as darknet drug vendors.

This is because many recreational drug users are stocking up their supplies. Yale released a recent guide to harm reduction for consumers of drugs that follow COVID-19.Following advise on the controlled drugs are likely to worsen the effects of coronavirus (crack and meth), the guide advises consumers of all recreational drugs: “If you have money and are able, stock up on your drug(s) of choice before things deteriorate. Avoid bingeing on drugs that you are stockpiling so you have access to a supply. Try to buy from people you trust and have as many ways to contact dealers in your area as possible.”

Darknet buyers didn’t need incentives to load up: most DNMs
registered increased demand, while overworked postal services caused delays in deliveries. As a result, White House Market has requested vendors to consider extending the period before finalizing auto orders and releasing funds.

Due to the crisis, shipping times may be longer than usual but that hardly affects the trades. Plus, the recent bounce-back of the bitcoin price is an additional incentive for consumers to stock up. For many of them the darknet now is the only possibility to acquire drugs as other supply routes have either shut down or are not accessible to many people.