I am assuming that many people here will choose to never use it.. But I am interested to know what everyone's stance is on this substance. Is it ok to use every now and then?.. Or does this substance have no place in human life?

Personally I think that if a person used it seldom and reasonably, it could potentially have a use.. Maybe a little more addictive than alcohol, more only because IMO it is more enjoyable. My stance applies to alcohol too.. It can be used within reason every now and then.

I think there may have been a reason Freud was so enthused about this substance.. In a way it was like the MDMA of its time.

I'm no Coke enthusiast by any means.. I just think the bad side is over exaggerated.

Regarding completely theoretical use, I'm completely fine with it. Cocaine has a long history of human engagement. In our world currently, so much pain and misery comes from its distribution that I would never willingly participate in its economy.

Drugs are just molecules, that’s all. There is nothing bad about a molecule. It's the people who choose to become addicts that are to blame, not the drug itself.

SWIM tried cocaine before from a friend who was a coke addict and SWIM didn’t like it much at all. He saw no qualities about it that were at all interesting and can’t understand why anyone would ever become addicted to it. It did not give him any euphoria. He got stimulation and some other strange sensations from it, it was relatively uninteresting. He never tried it again.

Some people love it to death though. I’ve seen people spend every last penny they have on the stuff. I just don’t understand why.

Same with amphetamines. I can’t understand why people get addicted to them. They are not that great. They produce stimulation and some euphoria. Big deal.

Anyway, that’s my take on it.

The only drugs SWIM ever got addicted to were cannabis and tobacco. He’s quit both many years ago, and is not addicted to anything anymore. These drugs are the only kind SWIM could ever imagine being addictive because they are comfort drugs. I suppose heroin would also be in that category, but SWIM tried opium before, found it uninteresting, and never became addicted to that so I don’t know.

I’ve never used cocaine, but I have a cousin who ruined his life using crack. He stole money from anyone and everyone, especially our aunt.

When our aunt died (also his aunt, not his mother) we were at the funeral home on the day they were preparing her body for burial, and he asked the undertaker to remove her hearing aids – he thought he might be able to sell them.

(He got the hearing aids. Who knows what he did with them.)

I voted a reluctant yes, for i would be a hypocrite to vote no. I indulge 4-5 times a year (halloween, new years, my birthday and maybe a couple of other times). Only one or maybe two of those in a relatively excessive use but nothing crazy, the rest are low to moderate. My reluctance is the same ragabr feels - i feel worse supporting an awful black market of exploitation than i do from the stuff itself. Although, small point, but I never buy it directly myself, and it is often a gift. Luckily I have only 1 friend who has troubles with it (the drug, not my mooching ).

But i guess i don't feel TOO bad, or i would abstain completely. ahhh, we're only human...

JBArk

EDIT: it falls into the category of "drugs that make you feel differently". i prefer "drugs that make you think differently". i'm sure most here can understand the distinction.

Listen closely and learn, cocaine has absolutely no redeeming qualities what so ever. I have studied it in all forms and can say without a doubt it is worthless. If painkillers are needed there are better anesthetics and caffeine is a sufficient stimulant. If its not a medicine then it as a drug. Lessons taught by the drug , cocaine, are all harsh and best learned through others experiences.

Aether

Yeah, we all know there are people addicted to crack cocaine, heroin, alcohol, speed, etc., but that doesn’t make the drugs bad. The drugs did not choose to be used by man. Man chose to use the drugs. Man chose to become addicted. Addiction is a human behavioural sickness and not really the molecule’s fault.

I did it two or three times about 15 years ago and it was one of the most euphoric experiences of my life. I remember walking around feeling like I just won a billion dollar lottery and received a shield of invincibility along with the adoration of the world. Fuck that. I have to stop myself from smoking changa every day because it is so amazing. I wouldn't want to introduce something else with such an addictive potential into my life. My advice is to be honest with yourself about your will power and your ability to moderate your drug usage in general. I know that if I love something, I will obsess about it and it will take a dominant role in my life. For me, I need to stay away from chemicals that have the capability of ensnaring me in hedonistic excess because my moderation strategies suck.

I agree with 69ron in that it is just another molecule and it's responsible use is up to the consumer.

I too have never really gotten anything out of it and never understood why people allow themselves to become so consumed by it.

I also agree with ragabr in that I would never support the economy behind it.

I would however, be willing to grow some coca plants and do my own extractions and admixtures from the leaves.

For me personally, there are qualities that I can appreciate about this drug. It isn't enough for me to want to go back to it right away though.

I have found that usage leads to a somewhat frank discussion of sorts. People open their minds up in a different way that allows them to talk with no remorse. For me it is very euphoric and has an appreciable quality.. But I think everything in moderation is the best way to look at it.

I too think that the worst aspect of Cocaine usage is the economy behind it.

Im sure the inca would disagree.

Nothing against cocaine, I just get frustrated by the whole champagne and coke lifestyle some folk have. It's like Caviar for the decadent.

I can appreciate it for its medicinal qualities and methodical use akin to caffeine... but I'd never want to put 2g's up my nose in a night. That's just... odd.

I could maybe see it being used in small amounts as an admixture. It does have unique stimulant qualities, but as a stand alone drug, I just don't see why people like it that much. SWIM finds coffee and yerba mate are far more enjoyable, plus they are legal, so why bother with cocaine anyway? There are other legal substances that give a sense of euphoria.

If all you want is to feel good then regular exercise, eating right, being good to other people, doing hobbies, doing charity work, etc., are all good ways to achieve that. Taking a drug to feel good is a bad idea in the first place. I think that’s why some people get addicted to cocaine. They see it as a way to artificially make themselves feel good instead of doing it the real way. That in itself is a dangerous behavior pattern to get into.

the freaky white monkey certainly fun to wind him up and let loose but you'd never let him run your life. Unfortunately that it exactly what he's gonna try to do. Keep an eye on him and anybody you see with him.

And what about lab mice who will keep hitting the cocaine lever in their cages until they keel over and die? Are they just weak willed mice, Ron? Is this just another much publicized case of rodent behavioural sickness? Some molecules have a higher potential for causing addiction than others - and there's really nothing subjective about this. Freebase cocaine and methamphetamine are right at the top of the chain in this regard, along with heroin and other pharmaceutical opiates - also not too subjective. I defy anyone to tell me they've smoked crack or meth recreationally - and if they have, they clearly haven't done so much (or are lying to themselves).

In my direct experience (and I actually have some - I'm not just bloviating about something I haven't myself experienced), cocaine is about as insidious and consciousness diminishing a drug as you're ever going to find. Add to that the points made above about supporting a global economy based on human suffering (and the war on drugs, for that matter), and it's something I've come to avoid.

Is it impossible to use it without becoming addicted? No. Is it impossible to use it and not become anti-social and self-obsessed? In my experience, when used with any degree of regularity, it is. Is it possible to use it in any capacity and not play a part in a global cycle of human subjegation? Not unless you're makin' your own.

I actaully voted No, and I will explain why. I think coca leaf has medicinal qualities, and the inca definatily concider it sacred. BUT, cocaine in the west come to us from south america, is extracted in south america in the jungle by very very unenvironmentally sustainable methods. Its extremely destructive to the rainforest and anyone who buys and uses cocaine becomes a part of that cycle. So because of that reason alone I would urge everyone to not use cocaine at all and actaully discourage it's use..coca leaf is a diff story alltogether.

That just shows mice like it even more than people do. It's still not the molecule's fault that mice like it that much. Animals can have the same behavioral problems humans have. We are just animals ourselves. You cannot blame the molecule for the choice an animal makes. The molecule didn’t jump into the mice and force them to use it, they chose to take it. They chose to become addicts. The molecule didn't choose them. The molecule has no intelligence; it's just a simple collection of atoms arranged in a certain way.

Honestly... you've got to be joking.

Are you an NRA member as well, Ron? It's not a Tek-9's fault when a toddler chooses to step in the path of a drive by, but that doesn't give it redeeming social value. Both are inherently destructive.

And just for the record... I didn't vote either way. It ain't for me to decide what's okay for anyone other than myself. For me, it's not. I'm just stating a position based on a wealth of personal experience - not the need to play devil's advocate and wax on about interesting theoretical concepts.

I used to use cocaine somewhat regularly, but I was never addicted. The effects are really quite mild in my opinion, but the comedown can be a little uncomfortable, really quite agitating to be perfectly honest.

I too, although I chose to supposedly enjoy it on a great number of occasions; could not understand how someone could become addicted to it, but everyone really is different.

It's a terrible shame that the drug has tainted or destroyed reputations of really quite beautiful countries like Peru and Bolivia, and especially Colombia.

I have great sympathy for the Coca farmers, and the people in the mountains trying to scratch a living out of making pasta in the hills and jungles, only to see the cartels make an extremely wealthy living in a multi billion dollar industry.

Plus the pain it causes the people who fall under it's spell, and their friends and families. And the people murdered each year for various reasons; at various levels, within the cocaine trade.

With all this in mind, I feel I have to vote "No", it's part of my life that I've left behind, though it certainly was not a large part.

Peace,

Macre.

EDIT: I must also point out, that although I have sympathy for the people in the hills and jungles producing the pasta. Like fractal enchantment; I disagree with; and do not condone the methods, and dumping of chemicals in the river systems and rainforests.

I see where you are coming from. This is the main reason I will never purchase cocaine.

SWIM wonders how hard it is to grow the coca plant.