Does Cocaine Kill People—Or Does Culture?

Cocaine doesn’t kill people; culture kills people.

Actually, non-evidence-based policies, systemic racism, and the erasure of Indigenous wisdom kill people—but all of these are shaped by culture.

Sure, cocaine isn’t “safe.” Unlike mushrooms or MDMA, it doesn’t have low toxicity and therapeutic benefits. It’s closer to alcohol and opioids—both of which are mostly legal.

But when you look at the data, cocaine use results in fewer hospital visits and deaths than either alcohol or tobacco.

The estimated minimum lethal dose of cocaine is 1.2g—far more than what most social users consume in a night.

What Dr. Carl Hart Gets Right About Responsible Drug Use

Dr. Carl Hart, a neuroscientist who studies psychoactive drugs, found that most drug-use scenarios cause little or no harm. Some even offer mental, social, or relational benefits.

“Not the bullshit you buy on the street that’s been stepped on. When you go to places like Colombia... and get the good stuff... it could be a really good evening with you and your significant other.”
— Dr. Carl Hart in GQ

But if you’ve ever seen how cocaine is made in “resource” countries, the battery acid, gasoline, and concrete used in the process might make you question whether “good” cocaine even exists.

What’s left—if processed correctly—is cocaine hydrochloride, a salt that’s chemically far removed from the sacred plant it once lived in.

Coca Leaf vs. Cocaine: Not the Same Drug

The coca plant, in its natural form, is packed with benefits.

Depending on origin, a tea bag of coca leaves contains about 5 mg of cocaine. Chewing 30g of coca leaves gives blood concentrations of roughly 98 ng/mL—compared to 20–50 mg per line in modern street cocaine.

But the leaves offer much more:

• Calories, minerals, and vitamins
• Relief from stomach pain, altitude sickness, nausea, and indigestion
• Mild energy and social stimulation

Coca use in Cusco and the Sacred Valley is as normalized as mate is in Argentina. It’s cultural, social, and spiritual.

In Peru, the leaf is revered like gold—used in rituals, medicine, and ceremonies dating back to 1,000 B.C.

The Sacred Salt Became White Powder for White Power

But the salt’s out of the leaf now—and it’s not going back.

Especially when it’s used to:

• Fund CIA-backed paramilitary movements
• Bail out banks
• And fuel white power structures, especially in the U.S., the largest cocaine consumer in the world, followed by the UK and Australia

Crack vs. Cocaine: How Racism Shapes Drug Policy

In the U.S., the media’s portrayal of crack cocaine as a "Black drug" shaped public opinion and U.S. drug policy.

After the widely publicized death of Len Bias, a young Black athlete, lawmakers enacted the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986—which enforced a 100:1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, despite their identical effects.

Crack became a political scapegoat. Treatment? Harm reduction? Barely discussed.

How U.S. Drug Policy Criminalized Black Communities

Although crack and powder cocaine have identical effects, the U.S. government built policy around racialized perception, not pharmacology.

Key facts:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration shows no significant difference in drug use across races
• But in 2019, 81.1% of those convicted for trafficking crack cocaine were Black

The legal system manufactured a racial underclass through sentencing laws—using crack as the excuse.

What About France? Postcolonial Racism in Disguise

In the U.S., crack discourse is about race.
In France, it’s framed as a social and urban issue—but don’t be fooled.

France doesn’t collect racial data (by law), which makes direct measurement difficult. But qualitative research links crack use with migrant communities, reinforcing postcolonial hierarchies.

Why can’t race be discussed openly?

Because of French Republic Universalism—the idea that all citizens are equal, regardless of origin. While noble in theory, it creates a colour-blind discourse that fails to acknowledge real systemic racism, especially rooted in French colonial ideology.

Why France Still Handles Crack Cocaine Better Than the U.S.

Even with its colour-blind lens, France is far better equipped to address crack addiction than the U.S.

Since the late 1970s, France has:

• Enforced strict drug policy
• Funded publicly accessible drug treatment systems
• Included harm reduction services in their health strategy
  Source

In contrast, the U.S. built its drug strategy on incarceration, not care.

Cocaine Is Now Classless—But That Doesn’t Mean It’s Equal

Crack still gets framed as a poor person’s vice.
But cocaine? It’s everywhere.

A 2019 UK Home Office drug review found:

• 42% of users were in managerial roles
• 35% were manual workers
• Just 3% were unemployed

This reflects more than London. Similar dynamics likely apply to other Western nations.

Why Work Culture Shapes Which Drugs We Use

Take Connor, for example. He left an £80,000/year rig job rather than submit to a drug test.

Why? Because rigs drug test, and cocaine clears the body faster than marijuana.

Tabitha Lasley writes:

“The higher up the food chain you go, the greater the potential for scandal.”
— Sea State

I’ve seen the same in Canada’s oil industry. Cocaine is a “safer” option for workers than cannabis or meth, which last longer in your system.

Finance bros do it to feel less hollow.
Nightlife workers do it to keep going.
Truckers lean toward meth.
Academics and artists? We trip out.

Yes, these are stereotypes—but they reveal a truth:

Your class and career shape your drug choices as much as chemistry does.

It’s Not the Drugs. It’s the Stigma.

Anyone can do any drug. And many do.

As Dr. Carl Hart argues, adults should be free to choose how they alter their consciousness.

But most drug policy isn’t based on science. It’s shaped by:

• Anecdotes
• Class-based fear
• Racial stereotypes
• Cultural narratives that blame the drug, not the system

What’s actually killing people isn’t the substance—it’s the stigma.

Stigma causes:

• Discrimination
• Addiction
• Behavioral health breakdowns
• And the internalization of shame

We’re all part of one consciousness. How we choose to experience it—whether through coca leaves, MDMA, silence, or psychedelics—shouldn’t be judged.
It should be studied, explored, and understood.

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