Don't say "drug" when you mean "medication"

We can only hope that Lewis H. Richmond has continued his indefatigable effort to clear up this small matter. Inexplicably, we also refer to psychiatrists -- like Richmond himself -- as doctors.

American Medical News
31 Jul 2000
Letters to the Editor

Don't say "drug" when you mean "medication"

For many years I have written and spoken about the need for doctors to differentiate between the terms "medication" and "drug."

It makes little sense for people to "say no to drugs" (illegal substances) and "say yes to drugs" (medications). I would hope our national organizations consider the implications of the confusing message that many physicians give when referring to medications as drugs. Further complicating this issue is the fact that we refer to facilities that dispense medications as "drugstores" rather than "medication stores."

--Lewis H. Richmond, MD San Antonio