Doubt it all you want, it’s reality. There were very few laws concerning the consumption of any kind of chemicals in the US iuntil well into the Prohibitionist movement. Except in rare standout cases, morality was left up to the common man to decide. If a bartender/opium dealer/marijuana grower didn’t want to sell to a kid, they didn’t. Government was rarely involved. The only reason such substances are regulated now is because of sticky tax reasons. People get sold the nonsense “moral” reasons for the laws, never realizing it would be more moral to let individuals govern what they take in and let the details work themselves out.
Prohibition was federal. Most laws regarding children were state and local.