this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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I think once upon a time alcohol was illegal somewhere? That's what would happen. And I'd totally join a mafia
This is the real answer. When they illegalized a drug that was already widespread and in common use, basically everyone simply became a criminal. There's no reason to think people's natures will have changed enough to suddenly want to be law-abiding citizens, easpecially when they're on ceffeine withdrawl.
I don't think it would be as widespread though, since you need specific caffeine producing plants in order to get it, as opposed to alcohol which can be made from just about anything. The growth and distribution would probably be more like Marijuana, if 90% of the country were addicted to it (so insanely expensive and a whole lot of also caffeine-dependent cops being paid off).
It is definitely not the right answer.
I can make wine, to prevent me from making wine you'd have to make literally every fruit illegal, and even then there are millions of wild apple trees in my country that you'd have to cut down. It's impossible to prevent people from making alcohol.
In contrast to that, you can't grow anything that produces caffeine in my country. I'd have to import it, and checking mail in customs is a hell of a lot easier than checking the vast areas of empty forest to see if I'm illegally growing apples.