5 ms·

I've had a very slow-moving hobby project to parse and analyze a subset of this data: https://github.com/rcompton/black-market-recommender-systems https://githu

by rcpt 11y ago

I've had a very slow-moving hobby project to parse and analyze a subset of this data: https://github.com/rcompton/black-market-recommender-systems https://github.com/rcompton/black-market-recommender-systems So far I've had some ok results along the lines of "91.7% of vendors who sold speed and MDMA also sold ecstasy" http://ryancompton.net/2015/03/24/darknet-market-basket-analysis/ http://ryancompton.net/2015/03/24/darknet-market-basket-anal... I am working on extending this to markets besides evolution now.

ez123 11y ago
Just FYI, MDMA is ecstasy.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- rcpt 11y ago
  I chose that statistic to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, cf > While 'ecstasy' is the popular name for MDMA, the functional definition of ecstasy is any pill represented as MDMA on the street. Ecstasy pills are notoriously unreliable in content, more so than most other street drugs, and commonly contain either caffeine, ephedrine, amphetamines, MDA, MDE, DXM, or--in rare cases--DOB, and don't necessarily contain MDMA or any psychoactive. https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_basics.shtml https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_basics.shtml
  - escape_goat 11y ago
    To follow up on your response and clarify some: in your dataset, not only do 91.7% of the vendors of 'speed and MDMA' also sell 'Ecstasy'; 76.8% of the vendors of 'Stimulants and Ecstasy' also sell 'MDMA'. If I understand correctly, this means that vendors were significantly more likely to mention 'Ecstasy' in a product name (or description) if they claimed to be selling 'MDMA' than they were to mention 'MDMA' in a product name/description if they claimed to be selling 'Ecstasy', reinforcing the point that you have just made.
- gwern 11y ago
  The system works!
- woah 11y ago
  What people think of as ecstasy (the pill that makes you dance all night) is usually mdma mixed with some kind of speed. That's why this statistic was amusing.
  - bentpins 11y ago
    "Usually" is a real stretch. ecstacydata.org's lab testing report analysis indicates amphetamines were present in under 5% of tests for the last 15 years. http://www.ecstasydata.org/stats_substance_by_year.php?style=percent http://www.ecstasydata.org/stats_substance_by_year.php?style...
    - leohutson 11y ago
      If you also include the methamphetamine row, that number is a lot higher, in 2007 in particular it was present in 38.6% of the pills tested. For contrast, last year only 33.1% percent of the pills tested actually contained MDMA.
- chm 11y ago
  I don't do MDMA personally but I have some friends who like going to raves with some chemical supplies. On the streets, some make it a point of honor to sell/buy only "MDMA" because "ecstasy" is "crap". The only precise name is MDMA. In my opinion the name users give to what they're ingesting is inconsequential. Most users have no idea what MDMA means anyway, nor would they know how to chemically identify if what they bought might contain MDMA.
  - WalterGR 11y ago
    The only precise name is MDMA. There's also "Molly," which is the street name for pure MDMA. (Though: most terms are tied to a specific geography.) ...nor would they know how to chemically identify if what they bought might contain MDMA. True, but that's not unique to MDMA users. cf. the heroin in the Netherlands that was being sold as cocaine, and which lead to several deaths. Organizations such as Dance Safe have existed for decades (in the U.S. at least) to let people test their drugs to make sure they're ingesting what they intend to ingest.
    - user_0001 11y ago
      "Molly" is the US term for what should be (but usually isn't - very often some mixture of random RCs methylone, mdvp and other alphabet drugs) MDMA. The UK term is "Mandy" "mud" or MD. Ecstacy (which I have never ever heard used) refers to what should be MDMA in pill form along with some binders and is usually referred to in the UK as "pills" or "Es". I believe the US prefers the terms "rolls" >the heroin in the Netherlands that was being sold as cocaine, and which lead to several deaths. How on earth can you buy coke and get heroin? No one buys coke and then rakes up a monster line, everyone does a dab test (lick finger, stick it in the powder and taste it) Heroin tastes nothing like coke. Heroin sells for more so why mix it in?
    - chm 11y ago
      Ah yes, Molly. Heard that one too. The heroin is apparently still being sold as cocaine in Amsterdam. I was posters about this on stores a couple of months ago :/
  - 11y ago

by rcpt 11y ago

ez123 11y ago

Just FYI, MDMA is ecstasy.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
rcpt 11y ago
I chose that statistic to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, cf > While 'ecstasy' is the popular name for MDMA, the functional definition of ecstasy is any pill represented as MDMA on the street. Ecstasy pills are notoriously unreliable in content, more so than most other street drugs, and commonly contain either caffeine, ephedrine, amphetamines, MDA, MDE, DXM, or--in rare cases--DOB, and don't necessarily contain MDMA or any psychoactive. https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_basics.shtml https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_basics.shtml
- escape_goat 11y ago
  To follow up on your response and clarify some: in your dataset, not only do 91.7% of the vendors of 'speed and MDMA' also sell 'Ecstasy'; 76.8% of the vendors of 'Stimulants and Ecstasy' also sell 'MDMA'. If I understand correctly, this means that vendors were significantly more likely to mention 'Ecstasy' in a product name (or description) if they claimed to be selling 'MDMA' than they were to mention 'MDMA' in a product name/description if they claimed to be selling 'Ecstasy', reinforcing the point that you have just made.
gwern 11y ago
The system works!
woah 11y ago
What people think of as ecstasy (the pill that makes you dance all night) is usually mdma mixed with some kind of speed. That's why this statistic was amusing.
- bentpins 11y ago
  "Usually" is a real stretch. ecstacydata.org's lab testing report analysis indicates amphetamines were present in under 5% of tests for the last 15 years. http://www.ecstasydata.org/stats_substance_by_year.php?style=percent http://www.ecstasydata.org/stats_substance_by_year.php?style...
  - leohutson 11y ago
    If you also include the methamphetamine row, that number is a lot higher, in 2007 in particular it was present in 38.6% of the pills tested. For contrast, last year only 33.1% percent of the pills tested actually contained MDMA.
chm 11y ago
I don't do MDMA personally but I have some friends who like going to raves with some chemical supplies. On the streets, some make it a point of honor to sell/buy only "MDMA" because "ecstasy" is "crap". The only precise name is MDMA. In my opinion the name users give to what they're ingesting is inconsequential. Most users have no idea what MDMA means anyway, nor would they know how to chemically identify if what they bought might contain MDMA.
- WalterGR 11y ago
  The only precise name is MDMA. There's also "Molly," which is the street name for pure MDMA. (Though: most terms are tied to a specific geography.) ...nor would they know how to chemically identify if what they bought might contain MDMA. True, but that's not unique to MDMA users. cf. the heroin in the Netherlands that was being sold as cocaine, and which lead to several deaths. Organizations such as Dance Safe have existed for decades (in the U.S. at least) to let people test their drugs to make sure they're ingesting what they intend to ingest.
  - user_0001 11y ago
    "Molly" is the US term for what should be (but usually isn't - very often some mixture of random RCs methylone, mdvp and other alphabet drugs) MDMA. The UK term is "Mandy" "mud" or MD. Ecstacy (which I have never ever heard used) refers to what should be MDMA in pill form along with some binders and is usually referred to in the UK as "pills" or "Es". I believe the US prefers the terms "rolls" >the heroin in the Netherlands that was being sold as cocaine, and which lead to several deaths. How on earth can you buy coke and get heroin? No one buys coke and then rakes up a monster line, everyone does a dab test (lick finger, stick it in the powder and taste it) Heroin tastes nothing like coke. Heroin sells for more so why mix it in?
  - chm 11y ago
    Ah yes, Molly. Heard that one too. The heroin is apparently still being sold as cocaine in Amsterdam. I was posters about this on stores a couple of months ago :/
- 11y ago