an illegal substance that some people smoke, inject, etc. for the physical and mental effects it has- He does not smoke or take drugs.
- to use/abuse drugs
- (informal) I don't do drugs (= use them).
- to smuggle/supply/sell drugs
- He was charged with possessing drugs.
- illegal/illicit drugs
- on drugs She looked like she was on drugs (= had taken drugs).
- I found out he was on drugs (= took them regularly).
- a drug dealer/trafficker/smuggler
- drug use/abuse
- She was a drug addict.
- The actor struggled with drug addiction.
see also class A drug, gateway drug, recreational drug, truth drugWordfinder- abuse
- addict
- deal
- dependence
- detoxification
- drug
- hallucinate
- overdose
- rehab
- withdrawal
Culture drugsdrugsThe problem of drug abuse, the use of drugs for pleasure, is common in Britain and the US, especially among young people, but using drugs is illegal in both countries. Many teenagers try drugs before they leave school, and some of them use drugs regularly. There is also concern that younger children are being offered drugs. Drugs are much more widely available today than they were in the past and can be easily obtained on the streets, in schools, at nightclubs and elsewhere.Many different drugs are available, each known by a variety of slang names. They include amphetamines (uppers or speed), barbiturates (barbs or downers), cannabis or marijuana (dope, grass, pot or weed), cocaine (coke, crack, ice or snow), heroin (junk or smack), LSD (acid), and also benzodiazepines which are sometimes prescribed by doctors as tranquillizers. Other drugs include mescaline, methadone, morphine, amyl nitrate (poppers) and phencyclidine (angel dust or PCP). Some children experiment with solvent abuse (= breathing in the gas given off by strong glue or other chemical substances). The use of MDMA, better known as Ecstasy or E, has led to deaths that had a lot of attention in the news. More recently, new psychoactive substances, informally known as legal highs or designer drugs, have become available. These drugs contain a mixture of legal and illegal chemicals and herbs. They produce similar effects to drugs like cocaine and Ecstacy, and were sold in some shops as if they were substances for making a pleasant smell or for helping plants to grow. However, it is now illegal to produce or supply any of these substances. Many people are concerned about the problems associated with drug-taking. The main worry is that using drugs often leads to addiction , poor health, and even death. Reflecting public concern, the courts have taken a tough attitude towards drug dealers (= people who sell drugs on the street) and drug barons (= the people who supply drugs to the dealers). Addicts are not punished so hard but are encouraged to get medical treatment and attend rehabilitation centres.Drug-taking is blamed for a lot of crimes, as addicts sometimes steal in order to get money to buy drugs. Also, criminal organizations that sell drugs use violence to prevent others selling them. In the 1970s these problems caused the US government to begin the War on Drugs and it set up the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1988. But not everyone supports the programme: many young people say that they can use drugs without becoming addicted. They also say that it is wrong for alcohol, also an addictive drug, to be legal, while the drugs they use are not. In 2009, President Obama announced that the administration would no longer use the term 'War on Drugs'. Instead, drug addiction should be seen as a disease that can be prevented and treated. In Britain, the government has also moved away from a strategy of frightening people, towards one involving education.There are often calls for soft drugs, the less harmful drugs such as cannabis, to be made legal, and in the US, there are now 29 states that have gone against US federal law and made the use of cannabis for medical purposes legal. Recreational use (= when it is taken for enjoyment) is legal in nine states and in Washington DC. This strategy is often resisted by those who believe that people taking soft drugs are likely to go on eventually to hard drugs, the more dangerous drugs such as heroin. People who agree with making soft drugs legal say that tougher laws do not work, and that many of the problems associated with drugs can be solved when it is legal to use them. For instance, the government can control the supply of drugs, and their quality and price. Criminal organizations are no longer involved, and that helps reduce violence. The government can put a tax on drugs, as is the case with tobacco and alcohol, and the money can be used to help pay for medical treatment for people who become addicted. But many people are worried by the increasing use of drugs and do not believe that making them legal is a solution.