if cocaine isn’t addictive
Who said that? not me.
Deleterious effects
Smoking tobacco, staying up too late, or regularly eating fast food have deleterious effects - that's up to adults to choose for themselves. To tell adults we-won't-let-you-do-that-because-it's-not-good-for-you is the definition of nanny-statism, like it or not.
The negative effects produced by such things pale in comparison to the negative effects produced by drugs. Like it or not, severity is a significant factor in deciding what to ban or legalize.
"Not because of any epidemic of cocaine addiction (whatever nanny-staters of the day may have claimed).
"epidemic" and "cocaine addiction" are separate yet related topics. If you want to combine the statement, that's fine by me.
But you have yet to answer the question...
If cocaine isn't a harmful/addictive or deleterious substance, why remove it from Coca Cola?
Maybe you'll answer this one?
If morphine isn't a harmful/addictive or deleterious substance, why remove it from so-called "soothing syrups"?
Maybe you'll answer this one?
If heroin isn't a harmful/addictive or deleterious substance, why remove it from "analgesics"?
At risk of being accused of being a nanny stater, could it possibly be that these substances were in fact harmful/addictive and deleterious?
If they weren't and were legitimate medicinal products, why not continue to use them?
They were, afterall, legal. This is what your one trick pony is all about, isn't it? Re-legalizing these types of substances.
Back in the Jimmy years, his Surgeon General maintained that cocaine was a great recreational drug, no addiction, no side effects, lots of benefits! Whoopee!
The pro-cocaine policy didn't last long.