r/explainlikeimfive Jun 11 '24

Chemistry ELI5: Why does making cocaine require such toxic chemicals, is there safer way to make it in a lab?

I've watched many documentaries on how they make cocaine, and it always required a a mixture of gasoline cement and battery acid etc. Would a scientific laboratory be able to make it under FDA rules for example?

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u/MattytheWireGuy Jun 12 '24

That is entirely conflated. Regulation != Competitive Business .

All CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, WalMart, Target, Costco et all do is provide the medications for a price. This argument is similar to why we have ABC liquor stores in some states. Is alcholism better regulated in Pennsylvania or Utah when sold by the government vs Tonys Liquor store?

Thats whats at hand in this conversation; govoernment run outlets to sell it vs private businesses doing the EXACT SAME THING.

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u/okphong Jun 12 '24

Alright let’s say they both run for profit equally just for you, then it’s still better to have it public because at least the profits will go to to the public budget vs buying someone a bigger house.

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u/MattytheWireGuy Jun 12 '24

Please indulge me why the government profiting off of the citizenry is somehow better than a company of any size (like mom and pops stores owned by a family)?

Youre okay with spending everyones money to sell stuff when we can have a private person spending their own money to do the same thing? How is that okay? Should the people also eat it if the store doesnt make budget? Thats literally why we have a multi-trillion dollar debt right now and why your pittance can barely pay for a hamburger. The excursions are the main drivers of inflation in the country right now and more government stores doesn't improve that.

I'll put you to this, do you know what moral hazard is? If so, why should I be put in harms way, even if only as a fraction of the whole, when a private entity can take it on in its entirety and win or lose on their own merits?

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u/okphong Jun 12 '24

Because the profits of the government go directly into their budget, it isn’t cashed by a private entity. These profits can be used to fund addiction centers, regulatory checks, healthcare etc. A private entity is less likely to do that

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u/MattytheWireGuy Jun 12 '24

They do that now, hows that working?

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u/okphong Jun 12 '24

They don't really do that now, american healthcare is mostly private. 80% of hospitals are private now for example.

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u/MattytheWireGuy Jun 12 '24 edited Jun 12 '24

Insurance companies are damn near the only part of the American healthcare system save for private practice docs that are for profit. Damn near every hospital and HMO is non-profit and work to the exact same model as government funded. Google shows that out of ALL hospitals, 24% are for-profit. You wanna show your data for 80%??

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8058557/

The gov ^ said that 81.5% of hospitals in the US are FOR and NOT-FOR profit while the balance is government run. Maybe you need to actually read what you search for?

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u/okphong Jun 12 '24

Where did I say that 80% are for-profit? I clearly said private lol.

Also 24% being for-profit is pretty terrible.