this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2023
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Cocaine can be used in dentistry in a gel if you have certain allergies
The derivates of the cocaine extracted from the coca leaves imported by Coca Cola are used in a variety of ways; from dentistry to eye surgery.
This seems like an American thing. We don't need to a soft drink company to import medical supplies or materials. But I didn't know it was used in eye surgery, I'm interested in learning more about that.
It's a global thing. Everyone repurposes side products of a process. Coca-Cola isn't allowed to have cocaine in the final product so it is extracted out and sold. (Coca-Cola doesn't actually do this their coca leaf supplier Stepan Company does).
It is a very American story.
Coca Cola uses coca leaves for the flavor. The government banned cocaine because of racism. Coca Cola had to remove the cocaine because of capitalism and made an arrangement with the government instead of going out of business thanks to corruption.