pills vs. pot

According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 4.7 million Americans used prescription drugs nonmedically for the first time in 2002 -

2.5 million used pain relievers
1.2 million used tranquilizers
761,000 used stimulants
225,000 used sedatives

There are 3.1 million Americans who smoke marijuana. So compared to prescription drugs, there are 1.6 million more Americans who use prescription drugs recreationally than people who smoke marijuana. The question I want answered after discovering this information, is how something that is in some cases more dangerous than marijuana (prescription drugs) is available and legal for everybody? There are so many Americans who rely on prescription drugs to wake up in the morning, stay happy in the afternoon, and go to bed at night. There is an addiction to these pills that people aren't taking as seriously as they are the use of marijuana. This upsets me because marijuana is not nearly as dangerous as prescription drugs.
The funny thing about this argument is the fact that the people who are fighting against the use of marijuana are probably popping pills to escape the unhappiness of their own lives. It is so hypocritical and ridiculous.