[jerseygirl]

No stats here- just several observations. Initially, people are not jailed for being addicted to prescription pills; they are jailed for the behaviors they engaged in to obtain the pills (prescription forgery, calling in prescriptions pretending to be a health care worker, stealing medications at work, even doctor-shopping in some cases). Many prescription addicts have no criminal history For first offenses, if they are lucky, they tend to get probation.Then, if during that period of probaton they are tested and found to be using drugs or alcohol,a jail sentence may or may not be imposed

[kidd]

...Initially, people are not jailed for being addicted to prescription pills...if they are lucky, they tend to get probation.

This is my impression as well (in addition to the side offenses that you mentioned). I believe that it is disingenuous to equate Rush's situation with those who have been imprisoned. To throw around a big prison number and relate it to prescription drug addiction (as this article has done) is to imply that anyone can be thrown in jail for behavior that is out of their control - which is simply not true.