Hard and soft drugs are loose categories of psychoactive drugs. This distinction is used in both official and casual discourse. The term hard drug generally refers to drugs illegal for nonmedical use that lead to profound and severe addiction, as opposed to soft drugs that are either only mildly psychologically addictive or non-addictive. A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. ... An addiction is a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity. ...

A large part of the distinction is a subjective, socially conceived notion of the consequences of usage for each drug. Depending on context, a particular drug can be categorized in many different ways for many different reasons. Even though there is a distinct difference between hard drugs and soft, many nations around the world continue to discourage soft drug use and refuse to recognize the clear distinction between the two. Surprisingly, some hard drugs are legal in most parts of the world (such as alcohol and nicotine) and soft drugs are illegal (such as cannabis and LSD). A nation is an imagined community of people created by a national ideology, to which certain norms and behavior are usually attributed. ... Antarctica Oceania Africa Asia Europe North America South America Middle East Caribbean Central Asia East Asia North Asia South Asia Southeast Asia SW. Asia Australasia Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia Central America Latin America Northern America Americas C. Africa E. Africa N. Africa Southern Africa W. Africa C. Europe E. Europe N... This article is about law in society. ... Antarctica Oceania Africa Asia Europe North America South America Middle East Caribbean Central Asia East Asia North Asia South Asia Southeast Asia SW. Asia Australasia Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia Central America Latin America Northern America Americas C. Africa E. Africa N. Africa Southern Africa W. Africa C. Europe E. Europe N... Functional group of an alcohol molecule. ... Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae), predominantly in tobacco, and in lower quantities in tomato, potato, eggplant (aubergine), and green pepper. ... Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ... Look up Cannabis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ...

Hard drugs

Examples of hard drugs include heroin, morphine, cocaine, methamphetamine, benzodiazepines, alcohol, and nicotine (tobacco). Drugs in this group are generally described as being physically addictive, easier to overdose on, and/or posing serious health and social risks, including death. Most, if not all, of these drugs are stimulants and/or depressants. Heroin (INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is an opioid synthesized directly from the extracts of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. ... Morphine (INN) (IPA: ) is a highly potent opiate analgesic drug and is the principal active agent in opium and the prototypical opiate. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... This article is about the psychostimulant, d-methamphetamine. ... Alprazolam 2mg tablets The benzodiazepines (pronounced , or benzos for short) are a class of psychoactive drugs considered as minor tranquilizers with varying hypnotic, sedative, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and amnesic properties, which are brought on by slowing down the central nervous system. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae), predominantly in tobacco, and in lower quantities in tomato, potato, eggplant (aubergine), and green pepper. ... Shredded tobacco leaf for pipe smoking Tobacco can also be pressed into plugs and sliced into flakes Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in genus Nicotiana. ... A stimulant is a drug which increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and produces a sense of euphoria or awakeness. ... See also sedative. ...

in between "hard drugs" and "soft drugs"

Not all drugs fit under the "hard drug" or "soft drug" label. Examples of these include MDMA and caffeine. MDMA shares some features with soft drugs in that it doesn't produce physical addiction. Some studies however say that it might be psychologically addictive, though such a claim is very controversial in the medical community. It is also easier to overdose on than many soft drugs, though not as much as many hard drugs. However detrimental physical effects are not usually reported on MDMA, except damage to serotonin receptors in the brain (though some studies show that serotonin receptors recover in time). MDMA alone also produces fewer than 10 deaths per year, which is far lower than most other drugs. ecstasy and religious ecstasy MDMA, most commonly known today by the street name ecstasy, is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family whose primary effect is to stimulate the brain to rapidly secrete large amounts of serotonin, causing a general sense of openness, empathy, energy, euphoria, and well-being. ... Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a stimulant in humans. ...

Caffeine, although legal and unregulated in nearly all jurisdictions, does have a mild addiction potential (both physical and psychological) that can lead to caffeinism. Its overdose potential is also higher than that of soft drugs, though nowhere near hard drugs. If used often, caffeine can also give rise to bodily stress, ulcers, and irregular heartbeat, which can sometimes lead to death, though more deaths occur from overdose. Despite this, caffeine is still safer than most hard drugs. Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a stimulant in humans. ...

Soft drugs

Examples of soft drugs include cannabis, mescaline, psilocybin, and LSD. MDMA and caffeine are sometimes included as soft drugs, see above. The term soft drug is most usually applied to cannabis (marijuana or hashish) because it is not associated with deaths[1], crime or violence amongst users[2], and is without evidence of physical addiction. [3] Cannabis has been studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, and it was shown that a lung cancer link isn't evident in the studies.[4] This distinction between soft drugs and hard drugs is important in the drug policy of the Netherlands, where cannabis production, retailing and use come under official tolerance, subject to certain conditions. Other drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms and LSD are also considered soft drugs by many because there is no evidence of physical addiction and it is nearly impossible to overdose on these drugs. . /plants/mushrooms/mushrooms_basics.shtml. /chemicals/lsd/lsd_basics.shtml. /chemicals/lsd/lsd_dose.shtml. /plants/mushrooms/mushrooms_dose.shtml Cannabis, (also known as marijuana[1] or ganja[2] in its herbal form and hashish in its resinous form[3]) is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa L. subsp. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Psilocybin (also known as psilocybine) is a psychedelic alkaloid of the tryptamine family, found in psilocybin mushrooms. ... Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ... ecstasy and religious ecstasy MDMA, most commonly known today by the street name ecstasy, is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family whose primary effect is to stimulate the brain to rapidly secrete large amounts of serotonin, causing a general sense of openness, empathy, energy, euphoria, and well-being. ... Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a stimulant in humans. ... Cannabis, (also known as marijuana[1] or ganja[2] in its herbal form and hashish in its resinous form[3]) is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa L. subsp. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, generally known as UCLA, is a public university whose main campus is located in the affluent Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. ... The drug policy of the Netherlands is based on 2 principles: Drug use is a public health issue, not a criminal matter A distinction between hard drugs and soft drugs exists It is a pragmatic policy. ... Cannabis cultivation may mean or refer to: Cannabis (drug) cultivation, about the cultivation of cannabis as a source of drug substances. ... A coffeeshop in Amsterdam Coffeeshop license Some coffeeshops, especially in the Netherlands, are places where the sale of cannabis (marijuana) for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities. ... Many drugs are provided in tablet form. ... Shrooms redirects here. ... Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ...

See also

• policy of the Netherlands