Fentanyl-laced drugs are extremely dangerous, and many people may be unaware that their drugs are laced with fentanyl. The legal marijuana industry in America increased 74 percent in 2014, up to $2.7 billion.[24] The shift to a more local market has caused the Mexican cartels to change gears and move toward other drugs in an attempt to continue to profit from the drug trade. Heroin and meth seem to be the answer as seizures of both of these drugs at the US/Mexico border increased as marijuana seizures declined.
Drugs For Rare Diseases Have Become Uncommonly Rich Monopolies
The black market is a thriving network of illegal transactions, and one of the most profitable commodities is drugs. Among the various drugs sold in this underground market, one stands out as the most expensive: Rhino Horn.
As illustrated in S1 Table, in August 2021, most drugs aside from antibiotics were subsidized. However, from 2021 to 2023 there was a decrease in the number of drugs receiving government subsidies. In April 2023, only a few drugs remained subsidized, and even among subsidized drugs the degree of subsidization has significantly reduced. Partially subsidized drugs include rivaroxaban (45% subsidy), canagliflozin (65%), fluticasone+formoteral (45%), fluticasone furoate + vilanterol (45%).
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The Price of Rhino Horn
The drug is applied in a highly controllable hospital setting by an experienced eye surgeon. Carbaglu is used to treat patients with elevated ammonia levels in the blood. The indication area comes down to a handful of rare disorders, so the number of patients indicated for this kind of treatment is low. Eculizumab (brand name Soliris) is a drug used for the treatment of a rare group of diseases that affect red blood cells. The drug is given as an intravenous infusion, 20mg per kilogram of body mass, every two weeks.
AbbVie recently projected the pair of drugs —– Rinvoq and Skyrizi —– will exceed Humira’s record $20 billion in annual sales by 2027. Look for information on your state or local health department’s website or ask your healthcare provider for treatment and referral services available the dark internet in your area. Insurance policies rarely cover the entire financial cost of a cyber breach, Hedges cautioned. Any HIPAA breaches can lead to massive fines that are not discharged in bankruptcy, and no insurance policy can restore patient trust lost in a cyber breach.
More often than not, an 8-ball is purchased for the use of multiple individuals. As a result, people are more likely to go in on it together to lower the cost per user while getting more of the drug per person. When sold by a dealer for individual use, an 8-ball consists of approximately 16 doses. (7) Like many other estimates on cocaine costs, reports are limited, conflicting, and vary widely. A “bump” or “key bump” is a small dose of cocaine scooped out using a fingernail or key for snorting. Because cocaine prices are so unpredictable, determining how much a bump would cost is difficult.
Medical Debt Upended Their Lives Here’s What It Took From Them
Rhino horn is made from the keratin found in the horns of rhinoceroses, and it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. However, its high value is not due to its medicinal properties, but rather its rarity and demand. Rhino horn can sell for up to $300,000 per kilogram, making it more expensive than gold, diamonds, and even cocaine.
Therefore, we conducted an experiment to cross-validate 2 sources of online street price data (StreetRx and Silk Road) with a more traditional survey of law enforcement officers. Since 2019, Lebanon has been suffering from an enduring economic crisis, that in conjunction with the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Beirut Port Explosion, has had catastrophic consequences on many facets of the Lebanese healthcare system. However, few studies have operationalized the impact of the crisis on drug availability and affordability. This is particularly relevant given that Lebanon imports approximately 95% of pharmaceutical products. Toward this end, we evaluated trends in outpatient drug availability and affordability in the context of monthly mean income at three time points throughout the evolving economic crisis (pre-crisis-August 2019, early crisis- August 2021, most recent-April 2023). Drugs used to treat the most common causes of mortality in Lebanon were selected from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health (MOPH)’s List of Essential Medications.
Why is Rhino Horn So Expensive?
Rhino horn is expensive due to several factors. First, the demand for it is high, particularly in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam. Rhino horn is believed to have various medicinal properties, such as curing cancer and reducing how to get into the black market fever, and it is also used as a status symbol. Second, the supply of rhino horn is limited, as there are only a few thousand rhinoceroses left in the wild. This scarcity drives up the price and makes it a valuable commodity.
The Impact of Rhino Horn Trade
The high demand and value of rhino horn have led to rampant poaching and smuggling. Rhinos are hunted and killed for their horns, and the horns are then sold on the black market. This illegal trade has decimated rhino populations, with some species on the brink of extinction. The trade in rhino horn is not only devastating for wildlife, but it also has negative impacts on local communities and economies.
- Also, it’s important to note that cocaine use and dependence are not limited to any socioeconomic group.
- In this paper, we present findings of a national analysis of street price data for prescription opioid analgesics.
- Even though a growing number of states have legalized recreational cannabis in the United States, prices of the herb can vary greatly from one state to another.
- In 2019, SwabTekTM introduced new field kits with dry test strips capable of detecting fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics.
- Prices and dosages of drugs may differ per each country and are calculated as an average using publicly available data, but may be subject to errors, omissions, or typos.
The most expensive drug in the black market, rhino horn, is a tragic example of the consequences of demand and supply. Its high value has led to rampant poaching, smuggling, and the loss of a precious species. It is crucial that we address the root causes of this demand and work towards sustainable and legal alternatives to protect both wildlife and communities.
