It is. The coffee supply chain and economic exploitation of caffeine dependency are considered locked-down enough to tolerate, though (as with alcohol). The problem with many illegal drugs isn't their physiological effects so much as it is who benefits economically from sales, sitting somewhere between "national security threat" and "big pharma not being able to take their cut".

I am waiting (for yeeeears now) for someone to file a lawsuit against Starbucks… if McDonald’s was forced the pay $$ for coffee being too hot prompting every cup in usage in America where hot content is poured to come with a disclaimer, no disclaimer is shown anywhere regarding addictive nature of coffee… all it will take is someone who spends like $3k/year on coffee at Starbucks to convince some hotshot lawyer to start a lawsuit. Easier rags-to-richer story for sure (provided plaintiff is “rags” :) )

It is - but multiply it by 1000x. Also, opioids give you crazy constipation. No fun.

You don’t nod off in a ball and lose circulation in your extremities on coffee.

Few coffee addicts become zombies like opioid addicts, with or without coffee.

Caffeine and sugar are also addictive drugs. Caffeine significantly increases the risk of a heart attack. Refined sugar has numerous slow-motion-car-crash health effects, from tooth damage to obesity to diabetes.

Both would be heavily regulated if they were new prescription medications.