|
|
Article: Narcotics: a primer. (includes a definition of terms)
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- March 1, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Narcotics: A Primer
The term "narcotics" is often loosely used. You hear it, and you think of all drugs that are considered either socially unacceptable or illegal. For example, many of our anti-drug laws use the word as a synonym for drugs. The term "narc" for narcotics agent is used to describe a law-enforcement official engaged in anti-drug efforts.
But when doctors use the term, narcotics has a much more limited meaning, referring to a distinct class of drugs. These differ markedly from the psychedelics such as LSD, or the sedative-hypnotics hhat include alcohol and barbiturates. And while many narcotics are indeed illegal and dangerous (such as ...