Talk:Drug

=

Requested edits

Some suggested improvements to the lead. Coffee, beer, and wine are not drugs, they are beverages that (ordinarily) contain caffeine and ethanol - these are the drugs. Decaffeinated coffee isn't any more of a drug than purified water, and pasta sauce made with red wine no longer contains "drug" by most definitions.

The lead also talks about pharmacological drugs being "prescribed" which is often true for the US, but there are lots of things purchased over the counter that are unquestionably drugs (e.g. acetaminophen/paracetamol). It's probably better to just say "used."

The last bit of the first sentence is vague legalese and I'd suggest instead "A drug is a substance which is used for medicinal, intoxicating, performance enhancing or other effects that is put in the body of a human or animal. Some foods have these effects and the line between food and drug is sometimes vague. For example, the caffeine in coffee acts as a stimulant and the vitamin C in oranges prevents scurvy."

The caption for the cigarette photo states that it is the "pharmaceutical form" of tobacco, but this is certainly not true, as the term "pharmaceutical" refers to a medicinal substance intended for use in medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease. Cigarettes produce more disease, illness, and cancer than perhaps any other drug in widespread usage, so using the term "pharmaceutical" to describe cigarettes, let alone tobacco, is inaccurate. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.78.3.196 (talk) 06:16, 14 December 2013 (UTC)

Just some thoughts. 150.148.14.8 (talk) 17:43, 2 August 2013 (UTC) tttt

Semi-protected edit request on 3 January 2014

36.37.146.22 (talk) 03:12, 3 January 2014 (UTC)

• Not done: please be more specific about what needs to be changed. Empty request. Technical 13 (talk) 05:36, 3 January 2014 (UTC)

Selective use of "Perceived" compromises neutrality of article

In pharmacology, a drug is "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being."[3] Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.[4]

Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens.[4] They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior.[4][5] Some drugs can cause addiction and/or habituation.[5]

In the pharmacological definition a drug is said to be used to enhance physical or mental well-being. For the article to be neutral the word "perceived" should be dropped from the next paragraph. Alternatively, the first paragraph could be changed to read: "...or used for the perceived enhancement of physical or mental well-being"

I prefer the first suggestion since it is not controversial to state that they may be used " to enhance physical or mental well-being" or "for beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior".

If this is thought to be ignoring possible negative effects, both paragraphs could include "but may have harmful side effects and/or lead to dependence or habituation." 81.178.215.89 (talk) 20:17, 3 February 2014 (UTC)Gideon 03/02/14