If you ask almost anyone if they know what a hard聽drug聽is, they鈥檒l nod enthusiastically. Ask them to define a聽聽however and the nodding might stop. According to most, hard聽drugs are more toxic, more dangerous, more addictive, more potent,听.聽But it turns out that hardness is a measure of a聽drug鈥檚 potential for dependence, and its harm to the user.聽This fits with the聽听辞蹿听drugs like聽,听听辞谤听, which cause physical dependence and are thus hard聽drugs, but not so much with our ideas of聽,听听辞谤听, which also cause physical dependence and are thus, hard聽drugs. This also means that hallucinogens like聽聽or 鈥樷��, as well as聽听补苍诲听聽are soft聽drugs, due to their lack of dependence building. 鈥楽oft鈥� as a descriptor for a聽drug聽has never been favoured, for fear that it minimized the risks inherent with any聽drug, but now hard and softness in relation to聽drugs has a connotation completely outside its definition that is causing scientists to turn away from these terms.聽
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