Noun

drug (plural drugs)

1. (pharmacology) A substance used to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, or modify a chemical process in the body for a specific purpose.
2. (pharmacology) A substance, often addictive, which affects the central nervous system.
3. A chemical or substance, not necessarily for medical purposes, which alters the way the mind or body works.
4. A substance, especially one which is illegal, ingested for recreational use.
   • 1971, Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Harper Perennial 2005 edition, p. 3,

     We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:pharmaceutical

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.

In pharmacology, a drug is "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being." Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.

Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens. They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior. Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation.

Drugs are usually distinguished from endogenous biochemicals by being introduced from outside the organism. For example, insulin is a hormone that is synthesized in the body; it is called a hormone when it is synthesized by the pancreas inside the body, but if it is introduced into the body from outside, it is called a drug.

Many natural substances such as beers, wines, and some mushrooms, blur the line between food and drugs, as when ingested they affect the functioning of both mind and body. Drugs most often contain at least one Heterocyclic compound.

Contents

• 1 Sourced
  • 1.1 Cocaine
  • 1.2 Heroin
  • 1.3 Marijuana
  • 1.4 Methamphetamine
  • 1.5 Tobacco
  • 1.6 Altered state of consciousness
  • 1.7 Drugs and the Law
  • 1.8 Other
• 2 Unsourced
• 3 See also

Sourced

Cocaine

• The Glorious Nosebleed- Juturna
  • Circa Survive
• I'm on a plane, with cocaine. And yes, I'm all lit up again!
  • Buckcherry, "Lit Up", Buckcherry (1999)

• Drivin' that train high on cocaine. Casey Jones you'd better watch your speed.
  • The Grateful Dead, "Casey Jones", Workingman's Dead (1970)

From Wikiquote under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Sat Jul 24 14:47:24 2010