what is the difference between an illegal drug and a prescription drug?

Answer 1

Prescription drugs have a medical purpose. Illegal drugs have little or no proven medical value and/or are too dangerous to be used medically.

Answer 2

There are a lot of "illegal" drugs which are also legal when a prescription is written by a doctor. Many drugs will of course have different names when they are prescribed. For example, heroine is illegal to posses in the U.S. I believe it is legal to posses with a doctor's prescription in Europe. The medical name for heroine is diamorphine. Really, though, any drug without a doctor's prescription or some other kind of science related reason to possess would be illegal if it cannot be sold over the counter.

Answer 3

An illegal drug is purchased "on the street", from somebody that is not liscened to write prescriptions or dispense drugs. A prescription drug is a drug authorized by a physician to be taken by the patient listed on the bottle. Only the patient is allowed, if other person takes it, then it becomes illegal, in that the medicine wasn't written for you.

Answer 4

One you can get from a doctor, and the other it's illegal to possess. :)

In practical terms, though, it's the safety and efficacy testing the drug has been through. To be approved for the prescription market, a drug has to be proven to be an effective treatment for an illness, and has to be shown to be generally safe. As we've seen lately in a couple of high profile cases, sometimes they miss some side effects. (Vioxx, anyone?) But generally, they treat an illness.

Most illegal drugs are just there to get you high, and have no quality control, which makes them pretty unsafe.

Answer 5

prescription drugs like the name describes are prescribed by a doctor for your well being, their only purpose is to make you feel better, even though they are widely abused because their side effects often include hallucinations and a "high". illegal drugs on the other hand are not prescribed for your well being by your doctor, they are used in medicine though for example marijuana. yet only doctors are able to do this if you are caught in possession of these drugs you will go to jail. prescription drugs are just as bad as illegal drugs when abused, SO DONT ABUSE THEM! illegal drugs are strictly used for pleasure and getting high while prescription drugs have another purpose which is bettering your health. hope this helps

Answer 6

prescription drugs have a specific medical use (eg painkillers, antibiotics, ointments etc) and are perfectly legal, whereas illegal drugs are well....illegal.
examples of prescription drugs are anything you buy over the counter at a chemist

Answer 7

illegal drugs are drugs that are not approved by the FDA and a prescription drug is one that is and that a doctor thinks you need to take for your medical condition.

Answer 8

An illegal drug is a drug that is supposedly harmful to you because of the fact that it isn't legal and it can possibly hurt you.

Legal drugs can also hurt you too if they aren't ment for you. Also, taking a legal drug that isn't perscribed to you is also considered illegal.

Answer 9

a prescription drug is one that is readily obtainable from any pharmacy...an illegal drug is one that you purchase from Guido on the corner under the street light
the prescription drugs are prescribed with a prescription by a licensed physician
an illegal drug is supplied by guido under the streetlight on the corner

Answer 10

illegal drugs mean something that can not get legally, like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstacy, and some other suff, and prescription drugs are like codine, that u have to get a prescription from a doctor in order to get it.