Website Tracks Street Prices for Illicit Prescription Drugs

A website that tracks street prices for illicit prescription drugs allows law enforcement and academics to follow drug trends, according to The Denver Post.

StreetRx allows buyers and sellers to anonymously report prices of prescription pills on the street in communities around the country. Dr. Richard Dart, Director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, who co-founded the site, says it is receiving heavy traffic. Dart says the site helps officials understand market forces.

StreetRx was created five years ago. It has about 2,500 unique visitors a day and is expanding into seven other countries. The site gives clues about which public policies are effective, Dart says.

Law enforcement uses drug pricing on StreetRx in making decisions about undercover buying and selling.”The biggest value for us is, if an undercover agent is posing as an addict or a dealer, he has to know what he should be offering to be credible,” said John Burke, head of the Warren County Drug Task Force in southwest Ohio.

Drugs can be searched by “most popular,” “best price” and “latest prices.” On June 9, Adderall was the most popular street drug. A 20-milligram pill is selling for $6 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and for $5 in Everett, Washington.

Drugs on the “best price” list include Klonopin, Xanax, Vyvanse, hydrocodone, methadone, generic Ritalin and tramadol.