Legalize and tax Coca

Coca is NOT cocaine. It is a very mild stimulant and should be regulated as such.
In addition to not respecting our civil liberties, it also hurts the environment by encouraging the destruction of the species of Coca from its native environment in South America, and encourages people to grow it in state parks here.

Coca leaves
According to the drug policy Alliance, “Scientists isolated cocaine from coca leaves in the 1850s. Until the start of the 20th century, this new “wonder drug” could be found in countless medicines to treat a variety of ailments. It was also included in many of the popular health tonics of the day, including Coca-Cola.”
Cocaine was once used as a local anesthetic. Coca leaves, a much less dose at a much lower potency of cocaine, can be chewed for energy and stimulation.
Now if people in the 1800’s could use small amounts of Coca (and cocaine) for recreational uses responsibly, why doesn’t the government trust us to use it today?
And since it does also have several medical benefits, it should be people’s choice to use it medically. They should be warned, of course, by their physician of the side effects, or have a warning put on the side label.
To quote John Stuart Mill, “Judgment is given to men that they may use it. Because it may be used erroneously, are men to be told that they ought not use it at all?”
Should a man (or any person) really be punished for using a stimulant before doing anything else wrong or immoral?
In addition to the fact that Cocaine IS ONLY A STIMULANT, it gives you energy. Sure, in HIGHER doses, it might cause other more severe side effects, but again, it can be used responsibly, and people should be given the choice.
And there are much more dangerous things that are LEGAL that you can be doing other than coca that are completely unnecessary and that I have previously mentioned. I will list them as follows…
Bowling: First off, when you bowl, you throw a large heavy ball. This can potentially dislocate your arm (something Coca does not do…) or tear your arm off, causing you to bleed to death. You can also slip and fall on the floor if you cross the line and die.
Driving: Accidents, hello.
Going to the movies: If there is a fire by the exits, you cannot get out. Watching the movie can cause caesuras if there are any bright or fast flash’s.
Staying home and doing nothing: an airplane can hit your house
Coca leaf (Erythroxylum coca) should be legal because there is only a very small amount of Cocaine in a single given leaf.
In addition, coca leaf chewing is common only among the indigenous populations of South America, however the consumption of coca tea (Mate de coca) is common among all sectors of society in the Andean countries, and is generally believed to be very beneficial to your health and wellbeing, particularly in the high altitudes. Coca leaf is already being packed and sold in teabags in most grocery stores in the area, and enterprises that sell to tourists usually feature coca tea.
The next thing I will say to those who are worried about an increase in cocaine production provided that Coca is legalized and Cocaine is not, are two things.
A) We have the option of taxing the Coca leaf and using all tax money to hire additional narcotics officers/train more drug sniffing dogs to deal with any increased levels of cocaine.
B) You shouldn’t be THAT worried, I mean seriously, there is already SO much cocaine on the American black market you can pretty much get it from any drug dealer. Anybody who tries to get or grow Coca to make Cocaine to sell (or use…) is an idiot who has made a horrible business decision, as is, there is a ridiculous amount of competition because its already easy to get, and it would be cheaper to buy it from a drug dealer who buys the stuff in bulk rather than to try and produce it themselves and buy all the equipment and learn all the science necessary to make it!
C) And remember, Coca is not Cocaine. To quote Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, "la coca no es cocaína"
And, Coca is healthier for you than most energy drinks that are perfectly legal! Even the great doctor Sigmund Freud hailed cocaine a ‘magical substance’ It certainly is satirical that the coca-leaf, before its fatal transformation, is a wholly useful, beneficial plant that is %100 natural and non-addictive. (Read more at Suite101: Coca vs. Cocaine: The Herb at War with Itself: Coca the ancient war on Cocaine | Suite101.com)
And according to Coca vs. Cocaine: The Herb at War with Itself by Roelien Steenkamp, one tea bag contains 1 gram of coca-leaf, which contains roughly 0.8mg of Calcium, 3.84mg of Phosphorous, 1.26mg of Magnesium and 30mg Potassium, as well as a small percentage of Iron. It also contains a chemical composition of alkaloids, fiber, ash and vitamins A, B, C and E. Although the coca-leaf is grown in large amounts for the production of cocaine, ...