@oldmanjingles
I don't dispute it's still being used in medicine, just that the quantities are vastly different between medicinal vs. recreational.
It also makes me wonder where the cocaine that is used medicinally is grown and processed.
My biggest question is
where this plant would be cultivated. I'm all for legalization of all drugs, and selling them in designated locations instead of black markets as it would be better from an HR perspective, and a financial one for society as a whole.
But as far as I know, growing the coca plant in a geographical location where it doesn't naturally occur, for example the UK, would not be a successful endeavor. As it grows in certain climates that would be hard to imitate on a large enough scale that the harvest would actually produce a viable amount of cocaine. But I might be wrong about that.
Chopping down rainforests in South America for peoples nose candy seems like a short sighted idea, even though I'd love to pick up a gram of legal coke when I go out to to buy a bottle of rum.