What is a drug?
In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations Governments of Member States have the responsibility, inter alia, for the health of their peoples. To contribute to this purpose and to promote cooperation among themselves and with others and protect the health of all people, States meeting established that the World Health Organization is the specialized agency in the matter.

A classic definition given by the World Health Organization can guide us in trying to understand what these substances we call drugs, and to know what preventive actions can be made:

WHO says: “Drug” is any substance which, introduced into the body through any route of administration, produces a somewhat altered from the natural functioning of the central nervous system of the individual and is also likely to create dependence, either psychological, physical or both.

Proper understanding of this definition tells us a lot about drugs:

Substances. Drugs are substances, which excludes the “drug addiction” behaviors such as compulsive gambling, watching too much television, video games, etc.. These behaviors of dependency or addiction are not set with a substance or drug.

All … Both the legal and illegal: the legal approach is not valid towards prevention. In fact, the most consumed drugs in our society that cause most problems are the snuff and alcohol permitted for use

Any route of administration. It does not specify the route, then be ingested drugs such as alcohol and drugs, either as snuff and smoked marijuana, others can be given by intravenous (injected), and some can also be sucked into the nose etc..

You can alter in any way the central nervous system. The alterations that drugs can cause are varied: Exciting (as do the drugs classified as stimulants); reassure or placate eliminate pain (as do drugs classified as depressants); cause perceptual disturbances of varying intensity (eg hallucinogenic drugs called).

They are likely to create dependency and psychological, physical or both. All drugs can cause psychological dependence and / or physical. According to the type of substance, frequency of use and retention time.

However, drug abuse prevention should take place from the beginning, at a certain age, working on awareness of abuse of other products such as candy and some medicines, snuff and alcohol later on. To achieve the ultimate goal to avoid the potentially psychoactive substance abuse.

In short: drugs are different and therefore different are both the reasons for that are used and their effects, risks or consequences of its consumption.

When you define Drugs?
The simple definition is not enough drug for the purposes of a comprehensive prevention therefore try to understand the ways in which individuals relate to these substances and according to this relationship, which is always determined by the sociocultural context, we can understand what is what makes a substance at certain times is considered “drugs” and others, through ignorance or conformity is excluded from the attention.

In order to draw us to this more comprehensive understanding can be classified from a social perspective on Substances that are in accordance with the WHO definition.