Colombian President Gustavo Petro said during a government meeting that cocaine is “not worse than whiskey” and that it’s only illegal because it comes from Latin America.
Colombia, the world’s largest producer and exporter of cocaine, has spent decades fighting drug trafficking, but the country’s left-wing president claimed the drug was being scapegoated by American politicians, who have waged the war on drugs for decades.
“Cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whiskey,” Petro said during a six-hour-long government meeting.
“Scientists have analyzed this: cocaine is not worse than whiskey,” he added, suggesting that the global cocaine industry could be “easily dismantled” if the drug was legalized worldwide.
The thing is, he’s absolutely right. There was a suppressed 1995 study by the World Health Organization on cocaine and its effects. The US threatened to pull out of the WHO at the time since the findings didn’t match US drug policy. Instead of losing the US, the WHO quietly shelved the study.
https://www.brucekalexander.com/articles-speeches/cocaine/181-who-cocaine-study
https://web.archive.org/web/20090618160146/www.tdpf.org.uk/WHOleaked.pdf
From the conclusions section:
A continuum can be identified for cocaine use, which includes:
- experimental use
- occasional use
- situation-specific use
- intensive use
- compulsive/dysfunctional use
Experimental and occasional use are by far the most common types of use, and compulsive/dysfunctional is far less common. Compulsive or dysfunctional users often have serious relationship, work, legal and health problems.
Is it though? I think it is still worse than alcohol, but I do think decriminalizing can be better for treating and caring for the addicts. Addicts aren’t criminals, they are sick and need help.
if someone gets reeeally drunk, they’ll probably sleep… maybe do some sloppy fighting or very risky driving….
if someone does a whole lot of cocaine, they do some crazy shit.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50887893
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/94042/alcohol-most-harmful-drug-based-multicriteria/
Alcohol is a lot worse than “sleep, sloppy fighting and risky driving”.
Trump Monkey Paw USA: Bans Whiskey again
Whoa whoa whoa. Cocaine is way better than whiskey.
The US threatened to pull out of the WHO at the time since the findings didn’t match US drug policy. Instead of losing the US, the WHO quietly shelved the study.
Time to release it then.
I am against drugs. I think no one should be using drugs. I think drugs like Alcohol, Meth and Cocaine are a making of the devil. Ideally drugs would only be used as medicine.
None of the problems related to drug use are solved by criminalization. None of the societal and personal problems leading to drug use are solved by criminalization. Instead they are made worse. The most reliable way to reduce drug use in society is by removing economic hardship and lack of opportunities from people and providing better support to people in difficult emotional situations. The most reliable way to help existing drug users to stop using, is by reducing harms associated with drug use, while working on improving their life situation.
Okay, but the combination of coke and alcohol dramatically increases your risk for a heart attack, so having both really available is potentially an even worse health crisis.
And the risk of alcohol and cars dramatically increases your risk of death and yet…
Alcohol is one of the worst substances to get addicted to. All the people I’ve known who did cocaine on occasion were incredibly productive & successful. But the alcohol, it ruined so many marriages & lives.
You are making a false equivalence when you compare alcoholics to casual cocaine users. You should compare alcoholics and cocaine addicts.
So I should compare to alcohol which is about 10x more addictive in studies? There is no comparison.
No you should compare addicts to addicts because otherwise you are making a worthless statement.
Cocaine has also ruined many lives. Both are horrible and some people cannot control their consumption.
Both can be horrible.
Much less lives than alcohol though.
How much of that is just due to how massively available alcohol is though?
Read the studies. It is mind blowing. Does this study offend you? How much do you drink?
Fuck it. Might as well at this point.
