You can legally buy 90% spirits that are stronger anyway.
You can, but for instance here in the Nordics, it's every much harder than just getting a bottle of 40-50%abv from the store.
Estonia sells quite a lot of high abv vodka, but we Finns really don't have everclear or an equivalent of that, and that's common in of populations that got hard booze later. As in actually drinkable hard liquor is only about 500 or so years old, although some exited for medical purposes almost 700 years ago.
So if I walk into an Alko in Finland, I won't find anything stronger than 60%, and those in very small bottles. The strongest drinks in larger bottles are like at most 50-55%.
But you can order rums that are up to 72% and something like 80% vodka perhaps.
But no, Nordics mostly can't actually legally purchase quality 90% ethanol. And it's because the stronger drinks came here later which is why we have a bit more alcoholism. It's just evolution honestly. That's why also a lot of native American populations have problems with alcohol, because it was introduced relatively recently and the fast evolution is yet to cull out the worst drunks. Sounds super racist but it's true for us Nords as well, we only got hard liquor properly like 200 years ago when anglosaxons had it for around five centuries.
So Tldr the point is regulation does matter quite a lot. It doesn't completely prevent and whatnot. But neither does banning murder prevent murder yet we're alright.
People want to get inebriated, but not lose control. So if the regulations help with that, there's less losing control, ie less abuse.
Just imagine how horrible it would be if there's was no regulations in traffic, licenses to drive, etc,
And usually watching US traffic I am kinda horrified by the people you allowed to drive — and don't even have regulations to have studded tires in winter or winter tyres without studs,
We have to drive on a soap-oil course / water-ice course to get our licences.
So while I disliked bureaucracy and authorities currently in power and whatnot, I can see the benefit of regulations.
Edit today i haven't taken ambien, just rum and glög