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Comment by joeberon | Hacker News Reader

> just like any other legal drug aka alcohol or sugar that employees consume.

Sugar is not considered a "legal drug" in western society, basically neither is caffeine...as for alcohol, kein Bier vor vier

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Ah, fair. I stated an opinion as a matter of fact. My perspective came from the concept of a sugar crash. Which, to be fair, similar effects can happen when you eat too many simple sugars.

Your response made me wonder if sugar is considered a "legal drug" anywhere in the world. A Google search came back as negative or at least inconclusive.

The topic is the subject of scientific study [1] - "intermittent access to sugar can lead to behavior and neurochemical changes that resemble the effects of a substance of abuse".

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

> basically neither is caffeine

Then why does the FDA ban buying bulk caffeine [0]?

It seems like folks are also campaigning to ban kratom.

Basically even substances previously considered legal are under threat of being illegal. Remember even amphetamines used to be trivial to acquire.

0: https://www.newsweek.com/fda-bans-pure-bulk-caffeine-product...

Caffeine is very dangerous even at low doses. It doesn't take much to literally kill you.

It should be a Schedule I drug.

Just because it can easily kill you if you overdo it doesn't mean the effects are such that it should be illegal. Basically, the effects of caffeine are very mild, until you are dead, but the mild effects of caffeine are culturally celebrated in the west

This means coffee, tea and many sodas would be illegal. It would be illegal to grow any caffeine producing plant.

Seems in line with other Schedule I drugs like Psilocybin or Marijuana. Appropriate considering the addiction potential.

Yes but caffeine is socially accepted while psilocybin and marijuana is not. Further, caffeine makes you more productive as a worker whereas the latter two could even make you want to leave the work system entirely.

How much is a low dose? I hear that less than 400mg is safe to consume, though I consume approx 300mg a day myself. Currently trying to reduce that

I think it starts to get dangerous from 1 to 2 grams depending on body weight

The LD50 of caffeine is about 16 grams. That’s about 80 cups of coffee. We’re talking a heaping spoonful of powdered caffeine here.

That is a lot less than is required for many illegal drugs

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