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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
Researchers also must spend thousands to assure the government that their cannabis isn’t at risk of being stolen or diverted into the recreational drug supply.
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Nicholas Florko and Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 30 May 2024
Besides its legal and medical purposes, ketamine is a popular recreational drug.
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Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Byerin Prater, Fortune Well, 29 Sep. 2023
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.
Word History
First Known Use
1967, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of recreational drug was
in 1967
Dictionary Entries Near recreational drug
Cite this Entry
“Recreational drug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recreational%20drug. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
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
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