Do you have a source that proves people become self centered or is that anecdotal? I know people who have done cocaine and they haven't drastically changed because of it.

As someone who deals with cokeheads every week I think it attracts self centered people and enhances that trait.

> One of the most addictive substances known, legalization, acceptance and wide use could have drastic effects on society.

Very similar things can be said about alcohol (just look at how many people are addicted to it), yet we have learnt how to live with that drug. The same arguments against alcohol were used in the prohibition era.

I think an argument could be made that we're not really doing a great job of dealing with alcohol as a destructive and dangerous drug.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/201...

This isn't an argument against legalization, it's an argument against normalizing drug use via social and cultural acceptance and promotion.

The counter argument is that while it is still causing many ills, it did not "destroy the fabric of society" or something like that. The thing is that many people enjoy drinking alcohol, so finding a good balance is difficult.

Most people wouldn’t use drugs even if they were legal and freely available. Just like most people aren’t alcoholics. There are a lot of myths around drug addiction.

I don't think legalization would be a bad thing. Our current opioid epidemic is pretty equally driven by legal and illegal abuse.

Acceptance and wide use seems unrelated to legal status.

It says a lot about the state of HN's community that this post is poorly received, while posts supporting cocaine use are seeing more support. This used to be a techie playground; between comments in the heroin thread yesterday[∆] and in this thread today, now HN seems like a druggie haven.

[∆]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18193884

It's poorly received because it's hyperbolic. I've been around many powder cocaine users and have never seen someone's personality radically change. It's a stronger version of caffeine with more euphoria, that's about it. Given the health impacts, I dont recommend using it, but people should be honest about what this thing is, what it does, and how it feels, not participate in fear mongering.

I stronger version of coffee that might give you a heart attack.

drugs are technology

Was the crack epidemic in the 90s caused by legal cocaine?

Crack and cocaine are different. Route of administration has an enormous impact on addictiveness. While cigarettes are pretty addictive, a nicotine pill wouldn't be at all.

Cocaine criminalization contributed a lot to the crack epidemic. Being cheaper is a lot more important when there's a 20000% markup, and being more potent per weight and volume is a lot more important when it needs to be trafficked.