It's puzzling to me how drug regulation persists in the face of examples like we have. The argument goes "oh, we need gatekeepers to protect citizen safety." But then these gatekeepers proceed to prohibit marijuana as a dangerous substance unsafe for any use, which is absurd, before turning around to recklessly prescribe oxycontin. How is the current prescribing monopoly / regulation regime really keeping people safe? To me, it's only resulted in lack of competition in health care provision, a militaristic police force, a lack of hemp, and an epidemic of narcotic addiction that benefits doctors and hospitals. A physician-police-industrial complex.

If anything, it increases the dangers, because it creates the illusion of safety and shifts responsibility onto a concentrated authority, who has their own agenda and interests that do not necessarily align with the long-term best interests of the citizen in need.