Some believe, though they hesitate to put it in writing where it could be openly challenged, that regulations are a dysfunctional aspect of governance and that solutions to systemic issues lie at the individual level.

I do think that's often the case. Regulations in practice are frequently (but not always) worse than the individual solution and crowd the latter out in the process. Drug laws are a fantastic example. I doubt outlawing meth or opiates has been a net benefit on the whole if you truly look at the bigger picture. But if a mega corporation is peddling meth laced sodas to children outside the local elementary school I don't think "lol parent harder" is a sensible rebuttal (or even on topic) to people demanding some minimal amount of regulation. Banning meth in sodas is a perfectly reasonable solution there - go purchase it separately at the pharmacy!