FDA approval has nothing to do with being a drug or not. Nicotine is a a drug. Caffeine is a drug. Neither had to ever go through FDA approval. We're in a world of hurt if people think the Government is the final arbiter of the definition of any word.
It doesn't have to be marketed as a drug to be a drug. The FDA doesn't define words. The definition of drug is very clear. Sir Tokes A Lot is correct if you want to split hairs. Cannabis *contains* drugs (THC and other cannabinoids). Under that definition he's correct, just like coffee isn't a drug but contains a drug. I could turn around and say 'The D(rug)E(nforcement)A(gency) considers it a drug, so it's a drug...using your own logic. The word drug has a very clear medical definition that has nothing to do with the FDA or the DEA. I'm not even sure why we're having this debate. Any fool can look the word up in the dictionary.
People sure as hell didn't call them DRUGS... and that is the keyword here.. drug. Whether marijuana is a drug or not is not really being discussed, it's more so the definition of DRUG.
They called them medicine... which is drugs. And the topic of the thread is "Do you consider marijuana a DRUG?" Which anything that chemically alters your brain is a drug. Refusing this fact is just ignorance.
I guess you could call them drugs... You can buy dramamine which your brain naturally produces... dramamine is a drug, right? EDIT; Actually, emotions are the RESULT from drugs being released in your brain.
if you look in the dictionary you'll find that this is the exact definition of what a drug is.... Its a drug. Who the fuck lumps in tylenol or advil with crack or coke, just because it is by all means defined as a DRUG in the dictionary? These are not tangible things we take into our bodies to alter consciousness though... Now if you propose this question in a personal interpretation of the word drug, you got yourself a whole different argument.
I'm surprised Bleezie King hasn't posted yet, expounding on all the reason why weed isn't a drug in his head. Weed alters your perception, therefore, it is a drug.
But by your definition, that would mean heroin, coke, meth, PCP.... all those fun drugs would not be drugs because the FDA has not certified them... It just does not compute. I know the entire point of this thread is YOUR opinion on marijuana being a drug or not, but come on Rainbow, you're better than this, Like people have said, a drug is anything that alters the function of your body, or the perception of your mind, meaning that weed IS in fact a drug. You guys just all need to drop this stigma you all have with the word drug. Weed is a drug, and it is a very harmless and helpful drug at that, but it's still a drug and always will be no matter how you want to twist the definition of the word to fit your own beliefs, like Bleezie is so inclined to do.
The FDA is just a segment of the American government. Drugs in Europe or Asia are not approved by the FDA, so does that mean they are not really drugs? Yes, of course, marijuana is a drug. It alters the natural chemistry of the body. A drug is not defined by how much it has been chemically altered during it's production, and a drug is not defined by government agencies. A drug is defined by what it does to the body.
HAHAHA are you retarded? word nicotine isn't a drug, but when you stop using it for four hours you begin to get tingling in your hands and fingers, you sweat, you get headaches and you get cold symptoms. people get irritiable, depressed, anxious, temper tantrums, etc. sounds pretty similar to a lot of other extremely addictive drugs we've all been warned about.
... Keep in mind that the word drug should not be synonymous with addiction, irritability, and negativity altogether.... drop the stigma peeps..