Should OTC medicines (like sleep aids and cold remedies) be taken off the shelf?

As an addict to DXM (a common OTC cough medicine) and DPH (an antihistemine found in benadryll and unisom) I have mixed feelings about drugs. Sometimes I wish that OTC meds that can be abused would be made into perscription drugs, other times I'm thankful that I can get cheap, intense and legal highs. There are alot of arguments you can make in favor of both opinions. I'll pose a couple of questions that I'd like to get your input on.

When I say OTC medicine I'm mainly referring to the drugs that can be abused to get high. Drugs like, dextromethorphan (DXM), diphenhydramine (DPH), pseudo-ephedrine, dimenhydrinate, ETC.

Make your argument strong. I don't want to be scolded about my addiction, just keep your comments about the topic.

Arguments for Making OTC Meds Illegal/Persciption Only​

- Every year thousands of people (kids and adults) die from overdoses both accidental, suicidal, and recreational. I have lost two friends from Coricidin overdoses. If OTC drugs were made illegal or perscription only, countless lives would be saved.

- When OTC drugs are abused many can be habit forming. For example, I first experimented with DXM and it turned to a monthly thing, next a weekly thing, now I can't go a day without at least thinking about it. If OTC meds were made illegal or perscription only, there would be less drug addicts around.

- Marijuana is often clled the gateway drug. However many people start off with OTC's and move on from there. If OTC's were made illegal or persciption only less people would be forming addictions.

Arguments Against Making OTC's Illegal or Persciption Only​

- OTC medicines are more easy to obtain than persciptions. Most pharmacies are 10-20 mins away from you and filling scripts can take a while.

- OTC meds are cheap but are a multi-billion dollar industry. Pharmacies make great profits from these drugs.

 

While its unfortunate that you have lost friends to OTC medicines, the slippery slope logic is complete bullshit. Someone who is going to become a heavy drug user is going to become one regardless of the ease of access of any drugs. I believe on Penn and Teller's Show Bullshit! They state that less than 5% of pot users move on to harder drugs.

As far as taking them off the shelf I don't think it would do a tremendous amount as its not difficult to go get a prescription for anything these days, as Oxys are still one of the most abused pills there is despite all the control efforts put into place. Another thing is that there are always different ways to cook up something for your addiction, for example:

http://io9.com/5859291/krokodil-russias-designer-drug-that-will-eat-your-flesh

Just a warning, there are some VERY graphic pictures on that website.