Research into experiences of purchasing on Silk Road (v1.0) [SR1]

Hi Reddit,
I'm currently conducting research into user experiences of buying on the first version of Silk Road (V1.0) for the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University in Australia. This research is being conducted from a harm reduction perspective, is non-invasive and expresses a curiosity about the social and personal implications for buying drugs online through a DNM. Silk Road (V1.0) was a major player in this environment and relatively stable and trusted for an extended period of time.

With the Silkroad subreddit folding, I no longer have a clearweb public discussion of this research and thought I would repost it here for those who may be interested.

There has been discussion about the project through Tor at the Hub Forums. Having a look at this would give you a good idea about who I am and how the research is being conducted.

We're still interviewing for this research into people's experiences of drug purchase and use for the next 2 months. With the Silkroad story coming to a close and people moving to other marketplaces, this is a retrospective discussion about your experiences there.

We'd like to call for another 10 participants, from anywhere in the world, to talk about their experiences anonymously over encrypted IM. Here's our plain language statement. If you would be interested in participating, or would like to know more about the research, please email me at Alexia.Maddox@curtin.edu.au. My username on the Hub forums is alexiamadd and my twitter handle is also @alexiamadd. My research profile has a link with my public PGP key.

Thanks for your consideration of this research.


Comments


[10 Points] twosilkroad:

You can still view the subreddit. Simply go to the top right of this page, click preferences, then scroll to "allow subreddits to show me custom styles" and uncheck it. Save, go back to /r/silkroad and there you go.


[3 Points] swagpoopweiner:

feds


[2 Points] kkk33000:

Hi my name is jason holcott and ordered 2lbs of white widow to my address at 801 meadowlane branson MI from SR1 vendor WeedsAreForSmoking and everything turned out ok i hope this helps you get your paycheck from gov funded drugwar research facility project manipulatePublicPerceptionUsingFakeScience in partnership with govermentShillNewsCorp and friends.


[2 Points] alexiamadd:

I have been asked a couple of questions, by people interested in the study, that seek to clarify my position on drug use, harm reduction and legality. In responding, I felt that there may be others who would also like to be aware of my perspective into these questions. To this end, I have put together a brief synopsis of the questions I have been asked and provided my responses to them here. These responses are my own personal opinions, that I hope will become more informed and balanced through the process of conducting this research.

1) How exactly is harmful drug use defined, and what that definition's relationship to legality is.

In conducting this research from the perspective of harm reduction, what this means for me is not viewing whether drug use is illegal or legal, but rather viewing whether participants are experiencing what they would consider as harms (to physical and psychological health and their extended social networks for example) or benefits from their drug use. While most drugs used for recreational purposes or self-medication (for example) are illicit or heavily regulated, I do not make the assumption that illicit drugs are going to be bad for you and regulated/ legalised drugs are going to be good for you.

2) Will the research done by this study in any way attempt to, or be reasonably expected to aid law enforcement agencies, Australian, international, or American, in the pursuit of apprehending consumers on illegal darknet marketplaces?

This research is not designed or expected to aid law enforcement agencies to pursue or apprehend consumers on illegal dark net marketplaces. This research is designed to raise a variety of perspectives into the harms and benefits participants have experienced through choice-driven (rather than regulated, limited supply) access to and consumption of drugs purchased within the DNM environment, with the particular focus being on SR (v1.0)

3) Do you consider the prohibition of the substances cannabis and LSD fair or productive, as a matter of public policy?

No, I do not consider prohibition as a successful way to reduce harms from drug use. I believe that education, social acceptance, shared experiences, non-judgemental approaches and systems of social and medical support for those who desire it has the capacity to reduce potential harms from drug use and enhance potential benefits that can be gained for society as a whole. In general I do not believe that repression is an effective strategy for anything and that conscious consumption is a strength while unconscious consumption and a will for self-destruction will lead to harm. For me this is clear, however how these values may be reflected in policy and drug regulation is far more complex. It is my hope that this research will add another informed voice into this discussion.


[1 Points] alexiamadd:

Thank you for this info. The two reddit links on the silkroad subreddit where discussion about this research has taken place are: http://redd.it/1wipic http://redd.it/1qyi2k


[1 Points] None:

Please be carefull giving away info on your activity in SR1 . LE has all this info since the site was seized and the servers. Dont be stupid , this is against any opsec.