Weren't those examples meant to highlight differences, rather than similarities, to our own world?The game takes place in a fictional world, which is not so different from our own world, except for a few things (FYI: not all differences are listed here).
For example, slavery is allowed and completely legal. Prostitution is legal in brothels, however prostitution outside of brothels is against the law.
The pharmaceutical industry has reached unprecedented heights and there are a lot of drugs, which, however, are mostly prohibited for sale to individuals.