I actually posted a lengthy
blog post about this very topic awhile back.
On one hand, I think sugar is pretty much useless. There are other natural sweeteners that work just as well, are less addictive, and have few calories (well, sometimes, depends on what you use). I also think that most processed foods/desserts have WAY more sugar in them then is actually needed. I always cut the amount of sweetener in any recipe that I make in half (at the very least!). I'd say the excess in sugar is a major problem and I'd even go so far to say that the more sugar you put in the more addicted everyone because so then they just increase the sugar content in foods even more!
All that being said, I think outlawing it is a bit too far. There NEEDS to be proper nutrition classes in schools. Ones that talk about blood sugar issues, calorie counting, exercise, portion sizes, macronutrients, empty calories etc. There NEEDS to be home-ec classes in schools where students learn how to make healthy meals that are affordable.
I do think there needs to be a limit on how much sugar is put in foods. I'd also love to see a focus on using other sweeteners and more whole grain flours. There's no doubt in my mind that most prepackaged food could be made significantly healthier if they actually put the effort into it.