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A drug is a is a substance which has an effect on the body or mind. This may be a positive effect in the case of medicines or negative as is the case with most illegal drugs.
A '''drug''' is a is a substance which has an effect on the body or mind. This may be a positive effect in the case of medicines or negative as is the case with most illegal drugs.
==Medicinal drugs==
Since time immemorial mankind has noticed that certain herbs, extracts and other natural substances have positive effects on certain maladies. With the advent of modern science, these have been better identified and tested, and many of the active chemicals involved have been synthesized. A great example of this is aspirin (salicylic acid), which was isolated from the source for which it is named, the willow tree (Salix spp.), and then synthesized in the lab.
There have been many steps along the way which have revolutionized medicine, like the discovery that certain fungi have an antibiotic effect, killing harmful bacteria. The first identified member of this mow large family of drugs was penicillin.
In the last few decades there have been tremendous advances in the invention and manufacture of wholly synthetic substances designed for specific pharmacological effects. Two well known groups of these are the synthetic painkillers and anti-depression drugs (SSRIs). As the details and mechanisms of various ailments become better known, drugs that are more and more specific (having less side effects) can be engineered.
==Illegal drugs==
==Illegal drugs==
Illegal drugs are drugs that the government has declared to be illegal. This is often based on a perception, true or otherwise, that such substances can potentially cause damage to a person's [[brain]] and other organs. Equally there is concern about the fact that most drugs cause [[addiction]]. There is much debate over the legalization of drugs, people on both ends of the political spectrum are advocating for some drugs to be legalized while others on both ends are advocating for tougher penalties for possession of drugs. Some new age [[hippies]] believe drugs can separate one's body from one's soul, and native Americans believe drugs allow one to talk to trees; current research <ref>http://www.psych.uiuc.edu/~bhidalgo/litreview.htm</ref> in neuroscience has shown that psychedelic drugs can be used to induce religious experiences <ref>http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article1171389.ece</ref>.
Illegal drugs are drugs that the government has declared to be illegal. This is often based on a perception, true or otherwise, that such substances can potentially cause damage to a person's [[brain]] and other organs. Equally there is concern about the fact that most drugs cause [[addiction]]. There is much debate over the legalization of drugs, people on both ends of the political spectrum are advocating for some drugs to be legalized while others on both ends are advocating for tougher penalties for possession of drugs. Some new age [[hippies]] believe drugs can separate one's body from one's soul, and native Americans believe drugs allow one to talk to trees; current research <ref>http://www.psych.uiuc.edu/~bhidalgo/litreview.htm</ref> in neuroscience has shown that psychedelic drugs can be used to induce religious experiences <ref>http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article1171389.ece</ref>.
==References==
==References==
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[[category:technology]]
[[category:medicine]]