Much was made of things individuals could do then that they could do now. Buying cough medicine, where you could smoke, whether you got searched boarding a plane, what you could burn in your backyard - these loomed large. Drug forfeiture laws and raids, which are uncommon but a clear unfreedom, were also mentioned.
I thought it was largely perspective. There was a focus on what had been lost, rather than gained. Many drugs are now OTC rather than prescription. You can't burn leaves, but you can buy fireworks more easily. If you value choice = freedom, we are much freer now, as there are more than three networks, for example. But if you value privacy, 1975 was better.
