designer drug

1. A drug synthesized to have properties similar to a known hallucinogen or narcotic but having a slightly altered chemical structure, usually in order to evade restrictions against illegal substances.

2. A drug that is synthesized, especially by genetic engineering, in order to treat a specific medical condition or a specific patient population.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

designer drug

1. (Recreational Drugs) any of various narcotic or hallucinogenic substances manufactured illegally from a range of chemicals

2. (Pharmacology) med a drug designed to act on a specific molecular target

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

design′er drug′

a drug produced by a minor modification in the chemical structure of an existing drug, resulting in a new substance with similar pharmacological effects.

[1980–85]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

designer drug - 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

consciousness-altering drug, mind-altering drug, psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance - a drug that can produce mood changes and distorted perceptions

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References in periodicals archive

It was confirmed that the designer drug 5F-mdmb-Pinaca had killed him.

DESIGNER DRUGS KILL TWO CONS; Deaths at same prison

A new designer drug known only as 'Green Amore' in capsule form was found during the arrest of Joshua Habalo, who allegedly sold it at the CloseUp Forever Summer concert in 2016 at the Mall of Asia concert grounds where five people died.

New UP Manila lab to help police catch up with narcos' tech

A DANGEROUS new designer drug has been discovered in the UK for the first time.

Alert as fake ketamine found in UK

Alpha-PVP, α-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, is a synthetic stimulant of the cathinone class developed in the 1960s that has been sold as a designer drug.

Son ex-Deputy Speaker of Parliament Asiya Sasykbayeva detained with alpha-PVP drug

A popular designer drug that has emerged the past few years under the name "Bath Salts" is an example of the dangers associated with these products.

Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior and Active Learning Strategies to Combat Designer Drug use with College Students

Paul Kennedy, the director of Cayman's analytical chemistry division, has submitted data from thousands of drugs of abuse standards, including emerging designer drug standards.

Cayman Contributes Tandem Spectra Data to Cloud-Based Mass Spectral Library

Liverpool Crown Court heard that no reason emerged for his actions, with Waterson claiming he could not remember because he'd taken the designer drug, Spice.

Man petrol bombs his own car ... and sets himself ablaze; MOTORIST WAS HIGH ON SPICE, COURT TOLD

These scenarios could herald the emergence of a designer drug in a particular geographic area.

Commentary

A FOUR-DAY party led to the death of a teenager after he took the deadly designer drug "N Bomb", a court heard yesterday.

NBomb victim died after 4-day party; Three admit drug offences linked to tragedy

When a designer drug first appears for sale--often in gas stations, convenience stores or online--it is technically legal, because its chemical structure is slightly different from the illicit drug it mimics.

Drugs by design: corrupt chemists tweak compounds faster than law enforcement can call them illegal