Why is cocaine bad for you, but raw, natural coca leaf is not?
In: Chemistry
This one is a pretty easy “dose makes the poison”.
Even if we assume the processed cocaine is 100% pure, without additives or being cut, gram for gram, the active compounds will be much, much stronger.
Chew a coco leaf weighing 5 grams? Small dose.
Snort 5 grams of cocaine? I hope you’ve sorted out your bucket list.
If you’re interested, most substances on this planet have what’s known as an LD50. It’s the dose for an average person to have a 50/50 chance of killing them, usually expressed in measurement/kg of body weight.
Great visual table on acute and chronic LD50, and some explanations as well:
https://thoughtscapism.com/2018/05/07/measures-of-toxicity/
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