Maybe playing the devils advocate here… but the issue is that you can’t disprove pain. And pain management is really important.
They have to review all medications regularly, and it is much stricter now, the onus is on the patient to provide a justification for why you feel you need to continue on opiates.
If people were upfront with their doctors and said they were taking above the prescribed dose, the gp’s would knock it off-
But people don’t tend to tell their doctor for fear of it being withdrawn.
As for buying it OTC, it is sold in 3/4 day supply, so if you took it as intended, you wouldn’t have any withdrawal on cessation.
Opiates can be crucial for some patients, but I agree, can also cause a great deal of harm when abused xx