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
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
Test strips to detect whether fentanyl is present within recreational drugs are commonly used, and xylazine test strips are becoming more widely available.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024
That same year, Tesla board members expressed concern over Musk’s use of recreational drugs and Ambien, the New York Times reported.
—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024
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
Test strips to detect whether fentanyl is present within recreational drugs are commonly used, and xylazine test strips are becoming more widely available.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024
That same year, Tesla board members expressed concern over Musk’s use of recreational drugs and Ambien, the New York Times reported.
—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recreational drug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Recreational drug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recreational%20drug. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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