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Drugs |
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A drug is any substance that can be used to
modify a chemical process or processes in the body, for example
to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, enhance a performance or
ability, or to alter states of mind. The word "drug" is
etymologically derived from the Dutch/Low German word "droog",
which means "dry", since in the past, most drugs were dried
plant parts.
Terminology
The term "drug" is necessarily a vague one, being defined by
intent: for example, foods consumed for normal metabolism are
not generally considered "drugs", but the same foods consumed
for a more specific purpose (such as the use of alcohol as a
depressant or caffeine as a stimulant) may be. Depending on the
definition used, the same substance may even be considered both
a food and a drug at the same time. The term "medication" is
frequently applied to drugs used for medical treatment,
presumably to avoid confusion with recreational drugs.
Efficacy
The effects of a particular drug can vary greatly depending on a
number of factors:
* dosage
* combination with other drugs or foods
* means of ingestion (via stomach, lungs, punctured veins etc)
* the personal condition and circumstances of the subject (user
or patient)
* the user's expectations or beliefs about the drug (placebo
effect)
Distribution
Two patterns of distribution, licensed and illegal, are created
by laws designed to prevent or punish perceived abuse or to
protect the interests of licensed producers, suppliers and
users. Laws may be designed also (not least with respect to
alcohol and tobacco) to generate government tax revenue.
Legislation tends however to limit our ideas about which
substnaces should qualify as drugs. Broader ideas (which might
include tea, coffee and saffron) allow perception of other
patterns of distribution.
Licensed distribution
In the United States, medical professionals may obtain drugs
from drug companies or pharmacies (which in turn purchase drugs
from the drug companies). Pharmacies may also supply a drug
directly to patients, authorized by a prescription from a
medical professional, if the drug can be safely
self-administered. Most drugs are relatively high-cost for
patients to purchase directly when first distributed, although
health insurance may mitigate some of the cost. When the patent
for a drug runs out, a generic drug (some known as simply a
"generic") is usually synthesized and released by competing
companies, causing the price to drop markedly. Drugs which don't
require prescription by a medical professional are known as
over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and can be sold in stores without
pharmacy association.
Illegal distribution
Many self-recreational drugs are illegal almost everywhere,
meaning that their distribution is a criminal industry. This
results in adulterated products such as soap bar. See Drug
policy of the Netherlands. |
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