I agree with the original post, until about 80-90 years ago there were no restrictions on meds. There were elixers of morphine and cocaine available at your neighborhood stores. Did people get addicted? You bet. More so than today? That is hard to judge, some sources say no, some say about parr with today and some sources say much more so for some groups (isolated farm wives was one group mentioned). Just because it is legal and available doesn't mean that everyone will try it much less become addicted to it. As happens with alcohol.

As to having people driving etc, while taking these drugs, what do you think is going on now? One of the most dangerous things to take and then drive are over the counter antihistames. If it is legal, the crime rate goes way, way down. And yes, the dea needs to stay away from the medical profession. Half or more of us here would not be posting these gripe sessions and pharmacy addresses if our doctors weren't afraid of the dea. There is way too much government regulation in our lives as it is. And there is that huge streak of puritanism in our culture that thinks that suffering somehow has redemptive qualities and that addiction is a sin as well as a crime instead of a medical and social problem.