The law of supply and demand is not dependent on a free market. It is merely observance of the social dynamic between humans (as well as other living creatures!

The law of supply and demand is not dependent on a free market. It is merely observance of the social dynamic between humans (as well as other living creatures!) that plays out when scarcity is a factor. Indeed, in this case the scarcity is, at least in part, artificial, but the cost still comes down to supply and demand at the end of the day.