Drugs market

Drug market

The drug market generally means the buying, selling, and distribution of drugs. It can refer to two different markets:

• Legal pharmaceutical market — prescription and over-the-counter medicines sold through licensed pharmacies, hospitals, and manufacturers.
• Illegal drug market — trafficking and sale of controlled substances such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and illicit synthetic drugs. This market operates outside legal regulation and is associated with serious health, social, and criminal risks.

Globally, the legal pharmaceutical market is a major industry, while illicit drug markets are difficult to measure because much of the activity is hidden.