Should nicotine be regulated like a narcotic?

I'm going to take a stab and guess that you're referring to the fentanyl epidemic; what regulation do you think is lacking? Is there significant diversion from veterinary industry that is simply being ignored that needs to be patched? something else? It'd help to understand the implication, because I don't think the two situations are analogous between nicotine and fentanyl (or with methamphetamine, for that matter).

People aren't dying from regulated narcotics in the streets. There are regulations that keep those drugs in the pharmacy coffers. People are dying from illicit use of the regulated drugs, and the myriad of complications (overdose, disease, sepsis, violence, etc.). A framework of regulations already does exist to make sure that pharmaceutical drugs can be used safely and responsibly; those regulations and laws are not being heeded: people are dying from recreational drug use in consequence. I don't see a simple policy answer to this. I don't see what obvious regulations would change it for the better. Or is your post a simple lament of the situation our society finds itself in?

Subtle changes to the chemistry can make Heroine legal just gets a different name. [1] No prescription required.

[1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRZqHzDG_c8