DRUG

drug, a district and town of british india, in the chhattisgarh division of the central provinces. the district was formed in 1906 out of portions of the districts of bilaspur and raipur. it has an area of 3807 sq. m., and the population on that area in 1901 was 628,885, showing a heavy decrease in the preceding decade, owing to the famines of 1897 and 1900. the district is a long narrow tract, with lofty ridges of gravel in the centre and north, but otherwise consisting of open rolling country. the tendula and seonath are the principal rivers. rich black soil covers a large part of the district, and rice, wheat and other crops are grown. the main line of the bengal-nagpur railway passes through the district. drug, the capital of the district, is on the railway, 685 m. from bombay, and had in 1901 a population of 4002. bell-metal-founding and cotton-weaving are carried on. drug (from fr. _drogue_, a word common in romance languages, cf. span. and ital. _droga_; the origin of the word is obscure, but may possibly be connected with dutch _droog_, dry), any organic and inorganic substance used in the preparation of medicines, by itself or in combination with others, and either prepared by some method or used in a natural state (see pharmacology and pharmacopoeia). in a particular sense "drug" is often used synonymously for narcotics or poisonous substances, and hence "to drug" means to stupefy or poison. the word is also applied to any article for which there is no sale, or of which the value has greatly depreciated--a "drug in the market."