On the other hand, opiates are generally not readily available everywhere (and the current opioid epidemic in the US is an example of regulations and healthcare

On the other hand, opiates are generally not readily available everywhere (and the current opioid epidemic in the US is an example of regulations and healthcare providers failing to work as intended, with Purdue Pharma pleading guilty to 3 Federal criminal charges a while ago as a result) which was not always the case. See also: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/addicted https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/addicted