Darknet markets, or “cryptomarkets,” are changing the way that people buy, sell, use, and make drugs around the world. These anonymous online markets are democratizing access to global drug supply chains, introducing new challenges and opportunities for supporting the health of people who use the products that flow through them.

This event explored technologies, practices, opportunities, and challenges emerging from cryptomarkets. It presented a framework for understanding the role of cryptomarkets in global drug supply chains and how principles of harm reduction manifest in discourse and practice within them. We examined product innovations seen within cryptomarkets to reduce the health harms related to illicit substances purchased online, explore implications of recent interdiction events, and frame guidelines for the ethical practice of harm reduction service and research in this space.