Recent advances in digital health interventions for substance use disorders

The purpose of this review is to provide an update of the recently published randomized controlled trials in the field of digital health interventions for substance use disorders. Read more

Changes in Online Psychoactive Substance Trade via Telegram during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In this article, the authors present an evaluation of online psychoactive substance trade via Telegram, a free encrypted social media messenger service. The evaluation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed the authors to monitor the effects of the spring 2020 lockdown in the Netherlands on substance trade via Telegram. Read more

Chatbots are effective in supporting self-management of depression symptoms

A study from Singapore has evaluated the effectiveness of mental health chatbots in helping alleviate symptoms of depression. Read more

Potential Influences of the Darknet on Illicit Drug Diffusion

Darknet-hosted drug markets (‘cryptomarkets’) are an established model of illicit drug distribution which makes use of specialised online hosting and payment systems to link buyers and sellers remotely. Cryptomarkets appear to professionalise, gentrify and integrate drug markets. Therefore, they can be hypothesised to have effects on drug availability by allowing purchases by people who use drugs (PWUD) outside of face-to-face networks that have typified drug distribution. They may attract new buyers and may change use patterns by offering a greater range of higher-potency drugs. This paper examines the research on cryptomarkets’ potential impacts on drug availability. Read more

Web-Based Harm Reduction Intervention for Chemsex in Men Who Have Sex With Men: Randomized Controlled Trial

Men who have sex with men (MSM) who practice chemsex have a higher likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviors and higher rates of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than those who do not. Read more

Machine learning takes a village: Assessing neighbourhood-level vulnerability for an overdose and infectious disease outbreak

Multiple areas in the United States of America (USA) are experiencing high rates of overdose and outbreaks of bloodborne infections, including HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), due to non-sterile injection drug use. We aimed to identify neighbourhoods at increased vulnerability for overdose and infectious disease outbreaks in Rhode Island, USA. The primary aim was to pilot machine learning methods to identify which neighbourhood-level factors were important for creating “vulnerability assessment scores” across the state. The secondary aim was to engage stakeholders to pilot an interactive mapping tool and visualize the results. Read more

Web-Based Service Provision of HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs Prevention, Testing, Linkage, and Treatment for Key Populations

Despite the growth of web-based interventions for HIV, viral hepatitis (VH), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for key populations, the evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions has not been reported. Read more

Digital localisation in an illicit market space: interactional creation of a psychedelic assemblage in a darknet community of exchange

Sociology of drugs and digital sociology—albeit for different reasons—need the analysis of interactions, an approach underdeveloped in current scholarship. The researchers address this gap by providing a specific analytical framework for the analysis of digital interactions which enables an ethnomethodological account of micro-interactional dynamics within a cryptomarket: an anonymous darknet market of  illicit drugs. Read more

Online Black-Markets: An Investigation of a Digital Infrastructure in the Dark

This paper investigates the functioning of Online Black-Markets (OBMs), i.e. a digital infrastructure operating in the Dark Net that enables the exchange of illegal goods such as drugs, weapons and fake digital identities. Read more

A qualitative investigation exploring why dance festivals are risky environments for drug use and potential adverse outcomes

Dance festivals have been shown to be high-risk events for use of drugs such as ecstasy/MDMA and possible adverse effects associated with use. However, few studies have examined what makes festivals such risky environments. This research aimed to determine festival-specific risk factors for adverse outcomes related to drug use. Read more