DRUGS AND NARCOTICS
Drugs are articles that are intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or animals, and any articles other than food, water, or oxygen that are intended to affect the mental or body function of humans or animals. Narcotics are any drugs that dull the senses and commonly become addictive after prolonged use.
In the scientific community, drugs are
defined as substances that can affect a human’s
or animal’s biological and neurological states.
They may be organic, such as the chemical
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which occurs nat-
urally in marijuana; or synthetic, such as
amphetamines or sedatives, which are manufac-
tured in laboratories. Drugs can be swallowed,
inhaled through the nostrils, injected with a nee-
dle, applied to the skin, taken as a suppository, or
smoked. Scientists categorize drugs according to
their effects. Among their categories are anal-
gesics, which kill pain, and psychoactive drugs,
which alter the mind or behavior. Some psy-
choactive substances produce psychological
highs or lows according to whether they are
stimulants or depressants, respectively. Others,
called hallucinogens, produce psychedelic states
of consciousness; lysergic acid diethylamide
(LSD) and mescaline are examples of such
drugs.Marijuana is placed in its own category.
U.S. law categorizes these substances differ-
ently. Commonly, federal and state statutes dis-
tinguish drugs from narcotics. Drugs are
substances designed for use in and on the body
for the diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention
of disease. These substances are regulated by the
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA).
Drugs have been defined to include such things
as herb tonics, cold salves, laxatives, weight-
reduction aids, vitamins, and even blood.
Narcotics are defined by statute as substances
that either stimulate or dull an individual’s
senses, and that ordinarily become habit-
forming (i.e., addictive) when used over time.
The regulation of narcotics falls into two areas.
Legal narcotics are regulated by the FDA and are
generally available only with a physician’s pre-
scription. The production, possession, and sale
of illegal narcotics—commonly called con-
trolled substances—are banned by statute.
The U.S. government has expended billions
of dollars in a fight to reduce drug use in the
United States, citing startling numbers about the
number of individuals who use drugs. Accord-
ing to a survey in 2000 by the JUSTICE DEPART-
MENT,more than half of the adults in the United
States between the ages of 18 and 34 have used
illicit drugs during their lifetime. Moreover, 28
