In the medical industry there are. That's where the problem lays. More than heroin, most people get hooked on medical opiates. We're not fighting heroin right now, it's Fentanyl, a medical drug. When used in hospitals in controlled doses, it does serve a purpose. Ritalin and Adderall are legal speed. There are uses for those drugs besides recreation.
You proved my point on the nominalization of alcohol consumption though. A few beers with a meal is enough to be over the legal limit to drive in most states. Recreational drug use of any kind is dangerous, not just because of the effects of drugs, but the addiction. If we use drugs to escape our problems, the drug becomes the problem. Worse yet is when alcohol is considered safe because it's legal and people quit hard drugs and turn to drinking. I'm far more worried about the meth head who drinks to try to satisfy their cravings for meth than I am when they're high on meth.