I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that spice has been legal in certain parts of the galaxy all along in Star Wars. It’s kind of the backbone of the smuggling trade.

Thanks to (I’m only assuming here) the Pykes.

Well, not exactly, but sure.

Ever notice how being a smuggler is a perfectly acceptable occupation in the GFFA? That’s because it’s all about getting goods from one market to another while going through systems where said cargo is illicit.

Never noticed it before. Huh. Makes you wonder.

I just rewatched the Trace/Rafa arc of TCW, and (please correct me if I'm wrong) I thought Ahsoka told them that spice was used to make drugs but also for other legal things?

More like marijuana. Spice can be used as a recreational drug (for fun) or as a medicinal drug (for hospitals).

I would agree that it's a narcotic, or at least used in the manufacturing of narcotics

I think spice is meant to be more of a generic term for any sort of illicit drugs. So it could be everything from cocaine to marijuana etc .

I want to see a Star Wars scene where a respectable citizen is suddenly accosted by security in a visible public venue, and frisked, and as they are being dragged away, the alleged criminal is yelling, "No, really! I have a prescription for that!"

Maybe spice is a slang for a narcotic? Examples I would be pot, the devils lettuce (this a fairly common saying where I'm from), etc