The Moral Case for Legalizing Cocaine
DRUGS ARE GOOD
Cocaine should be legal.
Easy access to recreational drugs is a fundamental right of every honest working American. All drugs should be legal and readily available for recreational use. All drugs — yes, even the scary ones like cocaine.
The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 was signed into law by President NIXON with the good intention of suppressing dirty hippies. But it has backfired with disastrous consequences. Its passage created the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) — two corrupt, wasteful agencies guilty of BIG GOVERNMENT OVERREACH. The Controlled Substances Act also started the failed WAR ON DRUGS, which has eroded our civil liberties, militarized the police, and filled our prisons.
This essay will:
1. debunk the top three biggest myths about cocaine;
2. present three facts you didn’t know about cocaine; and
3. assert the moral case for legalizing cocaine.
MYTH #1: COCAINE IS “DANGEROUS”
Wrong. Cocaine is much safer than you think.
The new boogeyman today is fentanyl. According to Your Mom’s Facebook, MEXICANS and CHINESE are lacing cocaine with fentanyl, mischief-makers are coating dollar bills with fentanyl and leaving them on the ground for unsuspecting passersby, and criminal anarchists are painting lethal amounts of fentanyl on the door handles of police cars.
In 2019, the federal government declared fentanyl PUBLIC ENEMY #1 when President Trump’s opioid crisis czar, Kellyanne Conway, asserted fentanyl is being “laced into heroin, marijuana, meth, cocaine.”
But is it true?
No. It’s an urban legend peddled by suburban moms and wacky conservatives (and it’s all somehow connected to MEXICANS and CHINESE). It’s no different than the mass hysteria of “REEFER MADNESS” or razor blades hidden in Halloween candy.
I’m not claiming street cocaine is 100% pure and unadulterated. But reports of cocaine laced with fentanyl are blown out of proportion by the sinister propaganda machine of the police-state/prison-industrial complex. The truth is confirmed cases of fatally tainted cocaine are rare.
Drug dealers are businessmen. Why kill their customers? That’s bad business. The reality is cocaine is cut with cheaper substances, such as laxatives, local anesthetics, or maybe even speed (although it’s uncommon).
Furthermore, it’s unusual to cut an “upper” (such as cocaine) with a “downer” (such as fentanyl). When opioids are mixed with cocaine, it’s typically in the form of a “speedball” — a needle injection of cocaine and heroin — not powder cocaine cut with fentanyl.
How do we know cocaine laced with fentanyl is rare? Because the DEA says so. In its 2019 National Drug Threat Assessment report, the DEA writes:
“[I]n recent years, the overwhelming majority of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl reports submitted to NFLIS [National Forensic Laboratory Information System] are not cross contaminated and contain only one drug; therefore, most ‘speedball’ and ‘super speedball’ mixtures are almost certainly still not mixed at the wholesale-level and the majority remain mostly unintentional at the retail-level.”
Moreover, the most frequent cause of death related to cocaine is heart attack, typically caused by cocaethylene toxicity (a dangerous substance that forms in the liver when cocaine and alcohol coexist in the blood). Thus, it can be argued alcohol — not cocaine — is the culprit responsible for many of the deaths attributed to cocaine. More people die from alcohol alone than any other drug. So, why isn’t alcohol similarly demonized? Blame it on MEXICANS and CHINESE.
MYTH #2: COCAINE IS “ADDICTIVE”
Moderation is key.
MYTH #3: COCAINE IS “EXPENSIVE”
It’s more affordable now than ever before!
FACT #1: COCAINE BOOSTS CREATIVITY & IQ
Of course, there are the immediate benefits of cocaine — euphoria, confidence, arousal, etc. But there are other benefits too. For instance, it’s suggested cocaine improves one’s ability to brainstorm business ideas and write kickass music (but there isn’t any formal research to support this).
It’s common knowledge that cocaine increases confidence, creativity, and intelligence. For example, Robert Louis Stevenson used cocaine to write A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Another example is Stephen King, who wrote his best work while using cocaine. Yet another example is Fleetwood Mac, who recorded one of the most successful albums ever — Rumours — all thanks to cocaine. Even Sigmund Freud experimented with cocaine, calling it a “MIRACLE DRUG.” These are among the many musicians, writers, artists, and intellectuals who owe their success to the POWER OF THE POWDER.
FACT #2: COCAINE IS COOL
We all know it’s true.
FACT #3: COCAINE FEELS FUCKING AWESOME
Sniffing quality cocaine is among the most pleasurable feelings possible. Your heart flutters, your face gets warm and numb, and your front teeth feel like they’re going to fall out. It makes you feel like GOD…
MEDICAL COCAINE
Cocaine is more than just a party drug. Besides recreation, cocaine has legitimate medical use as a topical anesthetic. For this reason, the FDA has approved it for adult nasal mucosal surgery anesthesia (whatever that means).
Cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act (marijuana is legal even though it’s Schedule I). This means it has medical use, as well as the potential for abuse. Thus, our government tepidly acknowledges the benefits of cocaine, yet continues to enforce prohibition.
LIBERTARIAN HEDONISM
Of course, there’s the libertarian argument for drug legalization: (i) it’s your individual liberty to choose what you consume; and (ii) the government has no business restricting the sale of drugs or your use of them.
It’s not the government’s job to regulate drugs. People should be free to make their own choices. Give me ONE good reason why “Joe Six-Pack” shouldn’t be allowed to buy an eight-ball over the counter from his local pharmacy — you can’t.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We could end the failed WAR ON DRUGS. We could pardon all nonviolent drug offenders and halt the militarization of police. A better future is possible if you believe in it.
But there’s debate among libertarians about the morality of vices such as drugs or prostitution. Libertarians agree governments shouldn’t regulate drugs or other vices — but the question remains: should such behaviors be encouraged?
Would legalization send the message that cocaine use is acceptable? Probably not. Most people are smart enough to make their own decisions. Something can be legal without being encouraged. Cigarettes are legal, but nobody would say society promotes smoking.
But what if drug use WAS encouraged?
What if libertarians just want to do drugs, and all that “individual liberty” bullshit is merely a facade?
Hedonism is “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life.” Hedonism overlaps with libertarianism, which believes the individualistic pursuit of profit is the sole good in life. Both philosophies preach radical individualism (i.e., selfishness). How does this relate to cocaine? Research suggests cocaine impairs empathy — something libertarians notoriously lack. A study of libertarian psychology supports this:
“[Libertarians display] 1) stronger endorsement of individual liberty as their foremost guiding principle, and weaker endorsement of all other moral principles; 2) a relatively cerebral as opposed to emotional cognitive style; and 3) lower interdependence and social relatedness.”
Am I suggesting cocaine turns you into a libertarian? Maybe!
This is all to say libertarians have a psychological disposition to drugs, and their motivations for legalization are subconsciously driven. But despite their MANY quirks, libertarians get it right on this issue.
UTILITARIANISM
There’s also a utilitarian case for legalizing cocaine pertaining to harm reduction. Legalization would do wonders for the quality control of cocaine. Inconsistent purity is the reason for many overdoses. This is a major public health concern, yet it’s ignored by the medical community, as well as the creepy elites in Washington.
Legal cocaine would be subject to quality controls guaranteeing 100% purity. Legally sold bags of cocaine could be slapped with a “Drug Facts” label along with a scary Surgeon General’s warning. We could even put a skull and crossbones on the Surgeon General’s warning if that makes you feel better.
ECONOMIC BENEFIT
This is another libertarian argument. The failure of alcohol prohibition in the United States is a classic case study. If there’s a demand, there will be a supply — whether it’s legal or not. Criminalizing cocaine only enriches the Mexican cartels. And we don’t want that, do we?
Furthermore, cocaine legalization would result in BILLIONS of dollars of tax revenue, which can be reinvested in the economy. The federal government could use that money for “Medicare for All.” We could even pay for Trump’s BORDER WALL (if you’re into that kind of thing).
According to research from the National Criminal Justice Reference System:
“About $50 billion a year could be saved if drugs were legalized, and this figure could go as high as $150 billion a year if one considers the resources spent on ineffective drug suppression activities.”
It would be a miracle if lawmakers legalized cocaine. The Mexican cartels would go bankrupt overnight. You wouldn’t have to drive to the hood and wait outside a trap-house for your sketchy dealer. Cocaine could (and should) be as attainable to the average American as a glass of water. Together we can make this happen.
ROADMAP TO A SMART DRUG POLICY
So, what does a smart drug policy look like?
Congress must take these steps:
1. Repeal the Controlled Substances Act;
2. pass legislation with explicit language legalizing the sale and consumption of the “BIG THREE” — cocaine, heroin, and meth;
3. pass similar bills legalizing all other street drugs, (ketamine, psylocibin, MDMA, LSD, PCP, etc.);
4. approve all narcotic prescription drugs (amphetamines, opioids, benzos, etc.) for over-the-counter sale; and
5. abolish the DEA and FDA.
Cocaine prohibition doesn’t work — plain and simple. The failed WAR ON DRUGS only contributes to the problem. It’s a self-destructive cycle where nobody wins except the police-state/prison-industrial complex. Instead, we must decriminalize all drugs and regulate them the same way as recreational marijuana at the state level.
But we must act now. Call or write to your congressman, urging them to legalize cocaine. You could even threaten to vote for their opponent if they don’t. With enough pressure, we can make this happen. It’s time for the United States to legalize cocaine once and for all.