True. Cheers!

False. I am one of those who medicate every day with legal drugs. Without them, I'd be dead either from allergies, asthma, or high blood pressure. If it's an addiction, its an addiction to life. Regarding illegal drugs, I believe most of them shouldn't be illegal and should be available via dispensories in a managed environment at a reasonable/cheap cost. This situation would dramatically shrink the criminal market such that there would be "no money in it" If decriminalization of recreational drugs is your point, I support it.

True and false. With the advent of modern medicine, the lives of many have been prolonged. I don't think it's a bad thing to be taking daily medication which keeps you alive. Certainly not an addiction to be "treated" at all! Some medications which help people can also be abused, but this is the exception rather than the rule, and ought to be treated along with the other illegal drugs people take without good cause. I think it is dreadfully unfair to lump those with a mere desire to live longer and/or better with those who are using medication for other purposes.

False..most do not, but of those that do your ascertion has merit.

Assuming you mean recreational drugs, I would have to say that I disagree with the premise that MOST Americans use them. Many do, however, and I agree that it should be treated as a health issue and not a legal issue.

False..An addiction???? to take medication to prolong your life. I work in a nursing home...without medication..most if not all would be dead. And you call that an addiction?

Thanks for all the comprehensive replies. Remember,folks, alcohol is a drug, and it is one of the legal drugs referred to in my question. There are also tranquilizers, pain pills, sleeping pills, all quite legal and very popular. What would be the answer to this question, by a presidential canditate? I suspect that their answer would be more law and order, and stiffer sentences, exactly more of what is not working now. Suppressing the symptoms, but not curing the patient. Drug lords, prison guards,grave diggers, and police, adore the current system. If really doesn't matter that drugs are rampant, they need a job.

False. Addiction is a behavioral issue that originates in organic methods such as opiates, nicotine, etc. I used heroin to control my own pain which lead to addiction and it was dealt with purely as a law enforcement issue instead of treating my original pain or its causes. Treating addiction as a law enforcement issue will never work because addiction is a medical issue. Many people confuse illicit drug use with addiction, but the majority of illicit drugs are not actually addictive. They might lead people to believe they are addictive, but most simply make people want more because they can whereas heroin and other opiates produce very strong physical withdraw symptoms while others such as marijuana, cocaine etc. do not. It's kind of hard to explain, but unless you have gone through actual physical withdraw you likely won't realize the difference. Non-the-less, like it or not our laws prohibit the use of illegal drugs making it a law enforcement issue, but our laws put people in jail for using when they should be in treatment. I have been addicted to heroin and know many others who have. Yet I know of none who actually want to be a heroin addict. Jail only breed contempt for the system then breeds contempt for the treatment system also because often when law enforcement sends people to treatment they attach draconian strings to that treatment that usually defeats the entire reason for treatment in the first place. I realize why we have a law enforcement aspect, but if treatment is desired then the threat of more jail for failure all but seals the deal of failure for addicts who would prefer treatment as a way out of addiction. In other words a user friendly method of treatment works far better than forced treatment in every case. It's a complex issue, but jail for addicts is the worse possible solution unless the addict has committed other crimes harming others, but if the only crime is to harm themselves the law enforcement issue should be removed. Rots 'o'ruck, but you are on the right track, just somewhat confused in where you're taking it.