Craigslist: Your new drug dealer

Craigslist, the popular classified website known for advertising jobs, cars and personals, is continuing to allow Melburnians to market and sell illicit drugs online.

The site guarantees users the attainment, and in some cases the delivery of illicit drugs such as marijuana in and around Melbourne’s CBD.

Today’s listings on Craigslist which include ‘420 BUD AVAILABLE FOR PICK UP’, ‘Sunday’s Menu Flowerbomb Kush’ and ‘Ak47 420 Crystalized GREEN’ can allow anyone to contact and purchase illicit drugs straight from their homes.

City Journal contacted the Craigslist user, advertised as ‘420 Daily’, has over 30 advertised posts dating back from mid June this year offering $120 for 10 grams of marijuana only a few hours after the initial email.

This comes two years after the closure of the infamous black market site, Silk Road 2.0, which operated for three years, illegally distributing illicit drugs across the globe.

But Professor John Fitzgerald, a specialist in Alcohol and Drug Policy from Melbourne University, said the media’s coverage on illicit drugs online is unclear and suggests Melburnians to focus on statistics.

“I’m disinclined to suggest purchasing and selling illicit drugs online is a trend,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

The Global Drug Survey, conducted by international media organisations, including Fairfax Media, revealed  4.5 per cent of the 4030 Australian’s surveyed admitted to purchasing illicit drugs online in 2014, mostly in the form of ‘herbal smoking mixtures’.

The report, which was released at the beginning of the year, did not identify a trend in the purchase of illicit drugs online, but instead acknowledged illicit drugs could be purchased at a cheaper price on the internet.

“When there is an inkling of danger in Australia there is moral panic because we don’t understand how to frame and respond to drug problems,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“The problem is misdiagnosed.”

Craigslist was contacted but declined to comment before publication.