Coca ballot 2012

Coca leaf 2012 ballot measure!

The reason I think Coca(Latin: Erythroxylum coca!) should be legal, mainly, is because people consent to do it at their own free will, and it would put a lot of these sleazy drug dealers out of the job, and create a new source of tax revenue for the state and country, because drug dealers tend not to pay taxes, as is, it would give away there business and location.
We could then use the tax money to hire narcotics officers to fight any cocaine dealers or increased Cocaine.
Studies have proven Coca isn't nearly addictive as coffee, each leaf being 1/5 the potency of 1 cup coffee, and if enough leaves are used has the potency of an energy drink (http://coca-tea.blogspot.com/2008/09/coca-tea-vs-energy-drinks.html) and lets not forget that if you can afford to stay addicted, you can afford rehab. And if you cant, its like instant rehab, right there! No more leaf's for you!
Why are certain terrible prescription AND non prescription (Like Tylenol, Aleve, Lunesta and more) drugs legal that cause heart attacks, death, strokes, bloody diarrhea, throat inflammation to the point where you choke to death, irreversible nerve damage, blindness, baldness, deafness, burning skin, corroded arteries, anorexia, bulimia, tremors, hallucinations (yes, there are legal drugs that make you hallucinate! Look up Ambien! See also Lunesta) Arrhythmias, brain damage, cancer, blistering, swelling, oozing and other terrible side effects legal, and smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol is legal, but Coca is illegal?
Oh yes, that's right, because Coca would compete with coffee companies like Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Pete's and energy drink makers like Red Bull and Monster, and even Pepsi for that matter.
Speaking of which, The medication Riddlin contains most of the same components as speed, and works not as good as Coca for a prescription, yet prescription Coca isn't even legal. And Coca does have medical benefits, similar to Riddilin, plus additional benifits.(http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/South_America/Peru/Departamento_de_Cusco/Cusco-1609235)/Warnings_or_Dangers-Cusco-Altitude_Sickness_Soroche-BR-1.html
Oh yes, another reason Coca is outlawed. Competition for pharmaceutical companies.
And anyone who says, but what about the children what if they take some! you are forgetting the many other dangers and plants you protect your children from, because you protect your kids from poison ivy, dont you? You protect your kids from snakes and serial killers, dont you? You protect your kid from eating daisies, an almost lethal and very common flower, dont you? Why cant you protect your kids from shrubs? And we can I.D. at selling locations as to prevent a minor from ingesting the leaf.
Coca leaf: There have been studies done by a very prominant Peruvian biologist named Antonio Brack Egg that showed that the Erythroxylum coca can help with asthma, YES ASTHMA, and depression. You can read more about this at
Read more at Suite101: Coca vs. Cocaine: The Herb at War with Itself: Coca the ancient herb, war on Cocaine http://southamericanaffairs.suite101.com/article.cfm/coca-vs-cocaine-the-herb-at-war-with-itself#ixzz0pUhH508K
He also discovered that the coca-leaf can be used as a substitute for coffee to increase alertness (the coca doesnt contain any caffeine). Further studies have proved the coca-leaf to aid the metabolism of carbohydrates, combat diarrhea and increase sexual prowess. It also helps relieve muscle ache and inflammation.
According to several medical journals, 1 gram of coca-leaf contains roughly 0.8mg of Calcium, 3.84mg of Phosphorous, 1.26mg of Magnesium and 30mg of 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, it is also cultivated for tea-exports from Peru (such as The National Company of the Coca) which support local villages.
Now, if you are worried about the production of cocaine being increased from legalization of the leaf, youre a moron, we would tax it, then use the tax money (from the Coca not yours by the way!) to hire more narcotics officers to be on the lookout!
According to the American Medical Associations Encyclopedia of Medicine, pg 285, Coca was once used as a anesthetic for minor surgical procedures, so obviously this south American plant has some definite medical benefits, in addition to the vitamins
And to quote Dr. Weil AT., "The therapeutic value of coca in contemporary medicine," J Ethnopharmacol. 1981 Mar-May;3(2-3):367-76. Traditional medical uses of coca are foremost as a stimulant to overcome fatigue, hunger, and thirst. It is considered particularly effective against altitude sickness. It also is used as an anesthetic to alleviate the pain of headache, rheumatism, wounds and sores, etc. Before stronger anaesthetics were available, it also was used for broken bones, childbirth, and during trephining operations on the skull. Because cocaine constricts blood vessels, the action of coca also serves to oppose bleeding, and coca seeds were used for nosebleeds. Indigenous use of coca has also been reported as a treatment for malaria, ulcers, asthma, to improve digestion, to guard against bowel laxity, as an aphrodisiac, and credited with improving longevity. Modern studies have supported a number of these medical applications
And if youre worried about it being a hallucinogen, and dont think it should be legal for recreational purposes, then
A) Its a stimulant, not a hallucinogen. Alcohol, which is legal, has more hallucinogenic values then Coca (http://www.comunidadboliviana.com.ar/shop/imprimirnoticia.asp?notid=782) AND
B) If youre thinking, well, it shouldnt even be legal for medical purposes, because I still think it might cause hallucinations, Youre really ill informed, because prescription Ambien and Lunesta cause hallucinations if you fight the urge to go to sleep. Should those be outlawed? NO! They help people sleep, as Coca helps people wake up, much in the same way coffee does, WITHOUT USING CAFFEINE! So tell everyone to stop being so uneducated, get informed and SIGN THE PETITION!!
Also, the MOST IMPORTANT REASON, is because Coca is a plant. It deserves the same protection all other plants do. You can't call yourself an environmentalist, or even someone who remotely cares about nature, and want Coca to be outlawed. This endangers the plant, and, like all other plants, it deserves our protection. We can grow poison ivy legally, and that could kill you if eaten, so why not preserve and legalize this wonderful stimulating plant that, if it could speak, would be begging for our help.
On a final note, drug dealers don't I.D. If its legal and drug dealers are driven away, we can I.D.
Other facts about Coca:
Coca leaf (Erythroxylum coca) should especially be legal because there is only a 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 shouldnt 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 cocaнna"
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, it is also cultivated for tea-exports from Peru (such as The National Company of the Coca) which support local villages. (National Geographic Vol. 175, No 1 January 1989 Cocaines deadly reach)

Sources: Rivera MA, Aufderheide AC, Cartmell LW, Torres CM, Langsjoen O., "Antiquity of coca-leaf chewing in the south central Andes: a 3,000 year archaeological record of coca-leaf chewing from northern Chile," J. Psychoactive Drugs. 2005 Dec;37(4):455-8.)

Eleanor Carroll, M.A.. "Coca: the plant and its use". Retrieved 2007-05-26.
http://www.comunidadboliviana.com.ar/shop/imprimirnoticia.asp?notid=782