GENERAL ON DROGAMES
The government's Office for the Suppression of Drug Abuse defines drugs as each a substance of natural or artificial origin, including psychotropic substances, included in the list of drugs and psychotropic substances.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition, the drug is any substance whose taking causes changes in the physical and mental state of the person, which may be lawful or prohibited by law. According to this definition, drugs are substances that are socially acceptable, such as alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and drugs. However, when a word drug is used in everyday speech, it is usually thought of illegal drugs, such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and others.
There are other definitions, such as the one that states that the drug is any solid, liquid or gaseous state that, by entering into the organism, results in physical or psychological changes (Kuzman, brochure "Living a Healthy Youth").
In short, when talking about drugs, it is important to know that:
- drugs are substances and means whose taking leads to changes in feeling, thinking, and behavior
- drugs can be of natural or artificial origin - for example, marijuana is of natural origin, and ecstasy is of artificial origin because it is created through human activity by combining different substances and causing chemical reactions
- Drugs can occur in the form of plants, powders, crystals, liquids, tablets, gases
- drugs are not necessarily prohibited by law - drugs include caffeine, tobacco, alcohol (which are forbidden for certain groups, such as minors) and painkillers, calmers, antidepressants, anti-cancer drugs and others who are abusing
