Types of Drugs

According to Oletu (2005) drugs are divided into six categories namely;

Ø Prescription drugs

Ø Over the counter drugs

Ø Recreational drugs

Ø Herbal preparations

Ø Commercial preparations

Ø Illegal or illicit drugs

Prescription Drugs:

This is a drug that can be obtained only with the written prescription of a licensed physician.

Over The Counter Drugs:

These are medications/ drugs that can be purchased in pharmacies or supermarket or a patients medicines store without prescription.

Recreational Drugs:

These are legal drugs that contains chemicals that help people to relax or socialize e.g. alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea etc

Herbal Preparations:

These are substances that are of plant origin that are believed to have medicinal ingredients or properties. E.g. use of paw-paw leaves, dogon_yaro, dead plantain leaves etc

Commercial Drugs:

These are commonly used chemical substances which people consume daily without the knowledge of its chemical composition these include cosmetics, house-hold cleaning, perfumes etc. some of these chemicals are detrimental to human body e.g. hydro-quanioun and mercury used in making body lotion.

Illegal/ Illicit Drugs:

These are drugs whose use, possessions, cultivation, manufacture, and sale are against the law of the state as they are generally recognized as harmful. E.g. heroin, cocaine, mescaline, marijuana.

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