Expert: David Scott - 11/2/2008

Question
I hope this is part of you're expertise or you can help because I'm not sure who else to ask. I was wondering where I could look or if you knew of any companies that sell a product intentionally making it addictive so people could buy it again other than alcohol or cigarettes. I was looking for a pharmaceutical product, but anything would help

Answer
I don't know if I would call it fraud.
I would think if a person / scientist / company  knew that there are certain chemical reactions in the brain that stimulate pleasure, that person / scientist / company would want to create a product / experience that produced that reaction.  The person on the receiving end of that pleasurable experience would likely try to reproduce it, no doubt.  Does that make it fraud?  No.  Does that make it addictive?  Probably not.  Does that make it wrong?  Probably not.  However, many of these questions, and this whole topic is really a philosophical argument.  I think cigarettes are a great example of a product bundled with many ingredients that create chemical reactions in the body that the user will seek to reproduce.  Is that wrong?  Probably not.  However, cigarettes unfortunately cause many physical and health ailments, and for that, cigarettes are detrimental and perhaps "wrong".  Does that make it fraud?  No.  
There are very few activities that have no detrimental physical and health consequences.  The journey in life is to find your balance for how much you can tolerate without ill consequences.
I think you had a specific company or product in mind, did you?
If I had to answer your question with an answer, not a discussion...I would say Pharmaceutical Companies probably know that medications that target pain have addictive side effects.  They rely on caregivers and Doctors to protect the patient.