recreational drug

noun

: a drug (such as cocaine, marijuana, or methamphetamine) used without medical justification for its psychoactive effects often in the belief that occasional use of such a substance is not habit-forming or addictive

Examples of recreational drug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Life among the global elite also meant attending and hosting fabulous parties — and partaking of recreational drugs, including ketamine, cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms, The Times said, citing documents and accounts by eight people. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 22 May 2024

The fact that fentanyl is regularly added to counterfeit prescription pharmaceuticals like Adderall and Oxycontin, or recreational drugs like marijuana, only increases the lethality. —Stephen B. Thomas, Baltimore Sun, 14 Mar. 2024

For her and many others with ADHD, Adderall is much more than a recreational drug or a study aid that helps a college kid pull an all-nighter, as some stereotypes may suggest. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024

Scopolamine has long been used to treat motion sickness and nausea, but became popular in larger doses around three decades ago as a recreational drug and to commit crimes, said Guillermo Castaño, a senior investigator for Colombia’s science ministry. —Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024

Interestingly, researchers did find a positive outcome in terms of reducing the use of other recreational drugs. —Emily Earlenbaugh, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

Those who use marijuana daily are about a third more likely to develop coronary artery disease than those who’ve never used the recreational drug, according to a study published in February. —Byerin Prater, Fortune Well, 29 Sep. 2023

Kouri's family believes his recreational drug use could be to blame. —Natalie Morales, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2024

The effects of the movie’s popularity-inducing gum could be seen as having parallels to recreational drug use — parents can take the opportunity to start a conversation about the risks of using a substance that artificially creates a temporary surge of feeling good. —Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

recreational drug

noun

rec·​re·​a·​tion·​al drug ˌrek-rē-ˈā-sh(ə-)nəl- 

: a drug (as cocaine, marijuana, or methamphetamine) used without medical justification for its psychoactive effects often in the belief that occasional use of such a substance is not habit-forming or addictive