The lack of a difference between the words drug/medicine seems to be more pronounced in US English, where it is common to say terms such as drugstore. In Commonwealth/UK English, the term chemist is more commonly used, and the terms drug/medicine usually have bad/good connotations. I think most would be alarmed if you said you went to the store to pick up some drugs!
Definitely more of an American thing with terms like “drug store”, but I think if the context is medicine or other non-prohibited stuff then “drugs” is pretty accepted, it just always comes with the joke that you’re nipping down to the chemist’s for some heroin.
This is really interesting! Are legal drugs like nicotine and alcohol categorised as poison, medicine, or something else?
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The lack of a difference between the words drug/medicine seems to be more pronounced in US English, where it is common to say terms such as drugstore. In Commonwealth/UK English, the term chemist is more commonly used, and the terms drug/medicine usually have bad/good connotations. I think most would be alarmed if you said you went to the store to pick up some drugs!
Definitely more of an American thing with terms like “drug store”, but I think if the context is medicine or other non-prohibited stuff then “drugs” is pretty accepted, it just always comes with the joke that you’re nipping down to the chemist’s for some heroin.