Drugs and Medicines
Call on God.
But row away from the rocks.
~Indian Proverb
A drug is a chemical substance that can start, stop, speed up or slow down one or more of the body's biological processes.
A medicine is a drug or combination of drugs that is intended to
• prevent illness, as vaccines do
• cure disease, as antibiotics do
• aid healing, as heartburn medications do
• suppress symptoms, as pain relievers do
Not all drugs are medicines; alcohol and nicotine are examples.
Drugs are usually classified according to the biological processes they affect rather than their chemical properties. For example, all substances that increase urine production, regardless of their chemical nature, are called diuretics. Drugs that reduce pain are called analgesics, and those that produce nervous system excitement are called stimulants.
Drugs work by interacting very specifically with certain biological structures, akin to a key fitting into a lock. Even though a drug may have a single intended effect, because it can interact with a variety of biological structures, it also has unintended, or side effects.
Drug Laws
American society regulates chemicals that change physiology (the definition of a drug) by placing them into one of five groups:
1. chemicals that are presumably so potent that only a doctor can permit their use so as to limit any harm that might arise from their use (so-called prescription drugs)
2. chemicals that are not so potent or dangerous that consumers can obtain them directly from stores or other sellers (so-called nonprescription or over-the-counter drugs)
3. chemicals, plant extracts, and vitamins that are called "dietary supplements" rather than drugs, even though biologically they act as drugs, which consumers can obtain directly from stores or other sellers.
4. tobacco and alcohol, which are addictive drugs with no therapeutic value and are used by choice for a variety of reasons
5) chemicals that are considered so dangerous to users and society that they are outlawed (so-called illegal or illicit drugs)
It is important to realize that regardless of its legal category, no drug is entirely safe. Any substance that can alter physiology has the potential to be harmful. The federal government only screens prescription drugs for potential harm. With chemicals in the other four categories listed above, consumers are pretty much on their own with respect to risks and benefits.
The United States spends billions of dollars each year in the "war on drugs." It is important to see that this expenditure is about enforcement of laws and not necessarily about protecting health. The number of people whose health is affected by all illegal drug use combined is far less than those harmed by alcohol and tobacco. And, it is estimated that each year millions of Americans are made sick and many thousands die from taking too much of -- or the wrong -- prescription medicines. This is not to say that there should not be laws regarding drug use. For health reasons, however, it is wise not to think of legal drugs as safe and good and illegal drugs as harmful and bad. The situation is much more complex than that. This is why the healthiest course of action is to be a cautious, knowledgeable consumer of drugs of any kind.
