There's all sorts of other stuff in coffee that's potentially bad for you but an occasional cup is okay. It's people who practically live off coffee, having some on the go throughout the day, who are damaging themselves.
steve your faith in the government is touching! Have they banned alcohol yet? They've only just got round to further restricting smoking as it is. The perception that coffee-drinking is ingrained in our lives isn't completely accurate, I don' t think. Since the 90s there's been an explosion of coffee shops and everyone seems to think they MUST arrive at work clutching their big cardboard cup of overpriced substandard Starbucks. I suspect a lot of this is the influence of films and TV and people wanting to emulate what they see. All this melodramatic "oh god I need my caffeine injection in the morning!" stuff is nonsense. But I think the "coffee culture" is a fad - a longer-staying one, admittedly, but a fad nonetheless - that will run its course.