Is marijuana a narcotic?

Question

And, what defines a narcotic? What are its parameters?

Answer 1

retired dragon, your own wiki-reference will answer the question, but the answer is NO. They even refer to the practice of refering to any illegal drug as a narcotic as being an erroneous and perjorative practice.

For the REAL skinny on drugs and the law, I suggest Licit and Illicit Drugs, edited by Consumers Union. They define Cannabis Sativa as an intoxicant, NOT a narcotic.

Narcotics are generally defined as opium derivatives and include opium, morphine, heroin and methadone. There are a few nonopiate synthetic narcotics as well.

kiki, this is a science forum, not an arbitrary legal one. The laws enacted to 'control' substances do NOT change the medical classification and clinical effects of a particular drug.

Answer 2

Yes it is a class-1 Narcotic, according to the Food and Drug administration.

There are multiple classes of Drugs
Class 1, is marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or any drug that has no medical purpose. They're illegal to possess. I hear, however, that hospitals keep small amounts of cocaine, and marijuana, though. (just a side note)
Class 2, is Ritalin, Oxycontin, Methadone, or any other drug that has a medical purpose, but can be very addictive if misused. The DEA forces pharmacies and hospitals to keep strict records on all of these medicines, down to the pill (also notable is percocet, tylox, dilaudid, demerol, etc.) Class 1 and 2 are the only one's I've heard get called "Narcotics"
Class 3, drugs are prescribed often, but they can be addictive. These include Vicodin, Xanax, etc. They're not regulated as much, but there are still rules for them because of their ability to be abused.
Class 4 encompasses almost every other drug found in a pharmacy that requires a prescription. There's no immediate threat of these drugs leading to addiction.
There might even be a Class 5 for all over the counter drugs, but I haven't heard of it.

Answer 3

A Narcotic is a drug causing numbness and drowsiness, that deadens pain, produces a temporary sense of well-being and can be addictive, comes from the Greek narkotikos meaning to numb.
Marijuana, which is the dried leaves and flowers of the Hemp plant.comes into all of these categories, It is mainly smoked in a cigarette as a intoxicating drug.
have I tried it, yes it was given to me as a pain killer, when I was in real pain, I can confirm it works, and another time by a friend who was jumping on a bus and just lit up what I thought was a cigarette. then it hit me for 6, I was on the way to work in a hotel. boy it took 4 hours for it to wear off, and could have been dangerous, I have worked with drug addicts and yes this can be addictive to some, but mostly leads to heavier and more dangeous drugs. my advice stay away from drugs, I was addicted to a presciption pain killer, which is prescibed freely in the U.S. and U.K. but banned where I live now. it took 2 weeks of hospital care to rid me of this, and I thought I could never be addicted to any thing

Answer 4

Technically speaking, marijuana (THC) is a narcotic - in that it is a mood altering substance that blunts the senses, may cause euphoria and or stupor. However, I think when people use the word narcotic, they generally mean an opiod-like substance, such as morphine, opium, hydrocodone, etc.

Answer 5

It is labeled this by our government and law enforcment but it was originally under Hallucinogens and both labels are wrong. This drug is harmless to a person except for its damage to lungs, throat, ect. same dangers as cigarettes. Casual and moderate use of this drug is OK in my opinion, its not a gateway drug and any crimes a person commits while on pot has to do with the person, not pot. Make it legal and tax it already!

Answer 6

The Government considers it one. But they are idiots.

In most states Possession is a Felony

Answer 7

Yes. Look at http://en.wikipedia.com/wiki/Narcotic

Answer 8

At min. it is a gateway drug that is the beggining of a life time decline,

Heronin

From here on it you ain't having crap.

Answer 9

if it's a drug it's a narcotic

Answer 10

Yes it is !