Comment on Colombian president says cocaine 'no worse than whisky'

ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• TrickDacy@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Not so sure such a highly addictive substance would be so innocuous. It’s several times more addictive than alcohol

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  • ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I don’t think it’s innocuous, but we’re already failing to prevent the harm it causes and our efforts are causing a great deal more.

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  • guaraguaito@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Not really, it’s somewhere between alcohol and nicotine in terms of addictivness. Less than alcohol, more than nicotine.

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    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Ah ok. I wouldn’t know conclusively but the cokeheads I knew were… more intense than the alcoholics.

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      • Cethin@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Probably it being illegal creates a selection bias. Most people will never use it or have it easily accessible. Most people will have easy access to alcohol and nicotine, and will likely try at least alcohol.

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  • Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    It’s not, most studies put them about even, possibly more for crack but definitely not several times more addictive.

    Meanwhile Sugar/sweetness is more addictive than cocaine but no ones calling to ban jolly ranchers.

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  • onlyoneIbought@r.nf ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    No it’s not wtf.

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    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      You people really like your cocaine. Wtf indeed.

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      • onlyoneIbought@r.nf ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        My mum’s alcoholic. Sorry but alcohol is fucking terrible.

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      • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        You’re right, it’s hella addictive. I’m very lucky that my body/brain works the way it does, though… I’ve got access to endless amounts of incredibly pure stuff and I only do it a few times a year.

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    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Alcohol is blamed for about 2,100 overdose deaths a year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cocaine, meanwhile, killed 14,510 people in the last year.

      Now, let’s back up a step and look at how many American adults use these drugs. The National Institute of Health says that about 86 percent of adults drink. In comparison, only about half of a percent of adults use cocaine.

      That statistic alone tells you that cocaine use is a far riskier activity.

      Source: www.theraleighhouse.com/…/cocaine-versus-alcohol

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      • Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        That statistic is about cocaine related deaths, not necessarily overdoses. Often with cocaine related deaths the user is taking multiple drugs at once, usually opiates, and often alcohol too, but it usually doesn’t get blamed.

        This is also more a problem with prohibition then cocaine itself since people don’t know the dose of what there getting or adulterants. If it were legal like alcohol there would be far less deaths. There were far more deaths from alcohol under prohibition when your “whiskey” was full of methanol and industrial alcohol

        Also overdose isn’t the only danger from drugs. One that alcohol is miles ahead of every other drug is DUI, which kills about 13,000, meanwhile cocaine, by itself, is rarely implicated in DUI. Alcohol impairs your driving ability way more than cocaine. There’s also chronic health concerns, which are harder to weigh. Alcohol is a carcinogen and chronic use fucks up your liver, meanwhile cocaine will fuck up your heart.

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      • onlyoneIbought@r.nf ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        The Alcohol-Related Disease Impact application estimates that each year there are more than 178,000 deaths (approximately 120,000 male deaths and 59,000 female deaths) attributable to excessive alcohol use, making alcohol one of the leading preventable causes of death in the United States, behind tobacco, poor diet and physical inactivity, and illegal drugs.4,5

        My mum’s alcoholic and sorry but if cocain is illegal alcohol shouldn’t be either.

        I am not for drug prohibition at all. I don’t think it solves anything, but cocain isn’t worse than wiskey, they’re both fucking terrible.

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• AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  While I can admit drugs aren’t “good” per se but I do think most* should be legalized. We should have harm reduction classes that can teach people how to use responsibly. And have clinics where addicts can go to try and get clean and can provide whatever drug they’re addicted to in a safe environment. Also tax revenue.

  But that would require empathy and an honest look at how other countries handle drugs much better than the U.S.

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• Peck@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  South Park predicted it yet again

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