Drug is thought to originate from Old French "drogue", possibly deriving later into "droge-vate" from Middle Dutch meaning "dry barrels", referring to medicinal plants preserved in them.
Medication
Nexium pills 40 mg
(esomeprazole magnesium)
Main article: pharmaceutical drug
A medication or medicine is a drug taken to cure and/or ameliorate any symptoms of an illness or medical condition, or may be used as preventive medicine that has future benefits but does not treat any existing or pre-existing diseases or symptoms.
Dispensing of medication is often regulated by governments into three categoriesver-the-counter (OTC) medications, which are available in pharmacies and supermarkets without special restrictions, behind-the-counter (BTC), which are dispensed by a pharmacist without needing a doctor's prescription, and Prescription only medicines (POM), which must be prescribed by a licensed medical professional, usually a physician.[citation needed]
In the United Kingdom, BTC medicines are called pharmacy medicines which can only be sold in registered pharmacies, by or under the supervision of a pharmacist, these medications are designated by the letter P on the label, the precise distinction between OTC and prescription drugs depends on the legal jurisdiction.[citation needed]
Medications are typically produced by pharmaceutical companies and are often patented to give the developer exclusive rights to produce them, but they can also be derived from naturally occurring substance in plants called herbal medicine.[citation needed] Those that are not patented (or with expired patents) are called generic drugs since they can be produced by other companies without restrictions or licenses from the patent holder.
Drugs, both medicinal and recreational, can be administered in a number of ways:
Orally, as a liquid or solid, that is absorbed through the stomach.
Sublingually, diffusing into the blood through tissues under the tongue.
Inhaled, (breathed into the lungs), as a vapor.
Injected as a liquid either: intramuscular, intravenous, intraperitoneal, intraosseous.
Rectally as a suppository, that is absorbed by the colon.
Vaginally as a suppository, primarily to treat vaginal infections.
Bolus, a substance into the stomach to dissolve slowly.
Insufflation, or snorted into the nose.
Many drugs can be administered in a variety of ways.
Recreation
The cigarette is the common pharmaceutical form of tobacco one of the world best selling drugs.
Cannabis is another commonly used recreational drug.
Main article: Recreational drug use
Further information: Prohibition (drugs)
Recreational drugs use is the use of psychoactive substances to have fun, for the experience, or to enhance an already positive experience. National laws prohibit the use of many different recreational drugs and medicinal drugs that have the potential for recreational use are heavily regulated. Many other recreational drugs on the other hand are legal, widely culturally accepted, and at the most have an age restriction on using and/or purchasing them. These include alcohol, tobacco, betel nut, and caffeine products.
Spiritual and religious use
Main article: Entheogen
The spiritual and religious use of drugs has been occurring since the dawn of our species. Drugs that are considered to have spiritual or religious use are called entheogens. Some religions are based completely on the use of certain drugs. Entheogens are mostly hallucinogens, being either psychedelics or deliriants, but some are also stimulants and sedatives.
Nootropics
Main article: Nootropic
Nootropics, also commonly referred to as "smart drugs", are drugs that are claimed to improve human cognitive abilities. Nootropics are used to improve memory, concentration, thought, mood, learning, and many other things. Some nootropics are now beginning to be used to treat certain diseases such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. They are also commonly used to regain brain function lost during aging.
Legal definition of drugs
Some governments define the term drug by law. In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act definition of "drug" includes "articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals" and "articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals." Consistent with that definition, the U.S. separately defines narcotic drugs and controlled substances, which may include non-drugs, and explicitly excludes tobacco, caffeine and alcoholic beverages.
Governmental controls
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (November 2009)
In Canada the government has moved to remove the influence of drug companies on the medical system.[citation needed] he influence that the pharmaceutical companies, the for-profits, are having on every aspect of medicine ... is so blatant now you'd have to be deaf, blind and dumb not to see it, said Journal of the American Medical Association editor Dr. Catherine DeAngelis.
See also
Pharmacy and Pharmacology portal
Drug abuse
Drug addiction
Drug development
Drug injection
Generic drug
Illegal drug trade
Lifestyle drug
List of drugs is an extensive alphabetical list of drugs by name.
Narcotics
Pharmaceutical drug
Placebo (origins of technical term)
Prescription drug
Prodrug
Psychedelic plants
Psychoactive drug
Recreational drug use
Responsible drug use
War on Drugs
References
^ Deutscher Kaffeeverband (2001-05-04). "Kaffee-Text 1/99" (in German) (PDF). http://www.kaffeeverband.de/pdf/kt1-99.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
^ In Germany about 118 of beer, 20 of wine, 4 of sparkling wine and 6 of distilled beverages are consumed per person per year.[citation needed]
^ World Health Organization. (1969). WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence. Sixteenth report. (Technical report series. No. 407).Geneva:World Health Organization.
^ a b "Drug." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1), Random House, Inc., via dictionary.com. Retrieved on 20 September 2007.
^ a b c "Drug." The American Heritage Science Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company, via dictionary.com. Retrieved on 20 September 2007.
^ a b "Drug." Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., via dictionary.com. Retrieved on 20 September 2007.
^ According to the statistic of the Food and Agriculture Organization the production quantity in 2006 of coffee was 7.8 million tonnes and of tobacco was 6.7 million tonnes.
^ Lingeman, Drugs from A-Z A Dictionary, Penguin ISBN 0 7139 0136 5
^ "Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act" (Website.) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved on 24 September 2007.
^ "21 USC Sec. 802." (Website.) U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved on 24 September 2007.
^ "Med schools, journals fight big pharma's sway" (Website.) MSNBC. Retrieved on 11 November 2009
^ "Medical schools, journals start to fight drug industry influence" (Website.) USA Today. Retrieved on 11 November 2009
External links
The Cult of Pharmacology: How America Became the World's Most Troubled Drug Culture by Richard DeGrandpre, Duke University Press, 2006.
'don't drug + drive' German web-site providing information on the influence of recreational drugs in driving.
420 Stoner Film Spiritual Use of Cannabis Medical Cannabis Cannabis Cultivation Cannabis smoking
Psychedelic
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Other
Counterculture of the 1960s Club Drug Dance Party Drug Tourism Drug Paraphernalia Hippie Party and Play Poly Drug Use Rave Sex and Drugs Spiritual use of drugs
