Designer Drug (Noun)
Meaning
A psychoactive drug deliberately synthesized to avoid anti-drug laws; mimics the effects of a banned drug; law was revised in 1986 to ban designer drugs.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The rise of designer drugs in the 1980s led to an increase in emergency room visits due to their unpredictable and often deadly effects.
- Law enforcement officials struggled to keep up with the influx of new designer drugs being created to evade existing laws.
- In 1986, the government revised the Controlled Substances Act to include provisions that specifically targeted designer drugs.
- The street name for the new designer drug was "ecstasy," and it quickly became popular among young partygoers who were unaware of its dangers.
- By the time health officials identified the risks associated with the new designer drug, thousands of people had already become addicted.