The Research Chemical Scene... The Illegal(ish) Drug Market Hiding in Plain Site.
At this point, everyone knows about the infamous Dark Net Markets, where one can illegally purchase a plethora of illicit drugs such as LSD, Cocaine, or Methamphetamine. However there's an alternative available for drug users with much less risk involved, one which is surprisingly much less well known than the DNM. This is the research chemical (aka RC) scene. It consists of a very large number of vendors from all over the world which sell a series of legal(ish) substances to the thousands of people interested in their products. What's so baffling is the fact that this all takes place on the clear net, despite being technically illegal in most countries. In the U.S. this is due to the analog act, which prohibits the purchase and usage of substances which are structurally or subjectively too similar to an already scheduled drug.
Instead of purchasing the aforementioned substances, RC shoppers can instead buy things like 1p-LSD, Hexen, or A-PHP. On top of this there's almost zero consequences for being caught purchasing personal amounts. You'd think that due to this it would be considerably more widely used than the Dark Net Markets, but that's surprisingly not the case. Perhaps it can be chalked up to the fact that the drugs these vendors sell aren't nearly as well known or researched as their classic illegal counterparts that it scares people off, but...
Another thing which is really ridiculous is that you can actually buy what is virtually just a scheduled substance from these vendors, with far less risk involved than physically meeting a drug dealer. For example, one can visit a certain popular vendor and purchase a good amount of both 1p-LSD and 4-aco-dmt for a fairly cheap price tag. 1p-LSD when ingested simply converts to LSD in the bloodstream, and 4-aco-dmt is known to convert to psilocin. The same compound that psilocybin mushrooms turn to when ingested. So by all metrics, you can buy LSD and Mushrooms online.... with virtually no risk factor. The worst that will happen to someone caught purchasing small amounts of these drugs is that their package will be seized and they'll receive a warning letter from customs. However keep in mind, this only pertains to USA consumers. For other countries the consequences can be radically different.
This makes me very suspicious about the DEA's intentions in the drugs they pursue. It seems as if they're being very choosy about what exactly they focus on, and I really wish I knew exactly why. It makes the conspiracy theorists obsessed with big pharma not seem so crazy anymore when they're doing their absolute best to get all kratom out of the country, yet let the masses seriously harm themselves with the more dangerous RC's like A-PHP (a powerful stimulant thought to be far more addictive than any illegal option, even meth).
The fact that this huge market is hiding in plain site on the clearnet, yet not widely known to the masses is a mystery, and I'm curious to see when the government will crack down on it. As they almost surely will. It's just a matter of when. The fact that they're actively trying to schedule kratom and shut down the market for it, yet are allowing this to continue on uninhibited is very strange to me. Very strange indeed....