PRODUCTIVE PILL POPPER
Rush Limbaugh's drug habit may have caused him some personal problems, but it didn't ruin his life. Indeed, he flourished professionally, and in a demanding, public job. His public problems all stem from prohibition, not pills.
I thought about making this point myself but was hoping that Jacob Sullum, who wrote the book on the drug user next door, would do so first. Now he has in a Hit & Run posting. An excerpt:
Just as there are "functional alcoholics," who continue to meet their professional responsibilities and even excel at their work, there are functional narcotic addicts whose habits may take a personal toll but do not interfere with their careers. The difference is that opioid users like Limbaugh are breaking the law simply by obtaining their drugs, so their habits may become public scandals even if they never affect their public performance.