[eru]

Drugs having to be government approved is a relatively recent development.

Perhaps about a hundred years, give or take. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Opium_Convention

The English language just hasn't caught on, yet. At least not completely.

In eg German, people generally differentiate between Medikamente and Drogen, but they still have a Drogerie which is essentially the same as a drug store.

[weinzierl]

> In eg German, people generally differentiate between Medikamente and Drogen, but they still have a Drogerie which is essentially the same as a drug store.

To add a little additional context 'Drogerie' mostly sells hygiene products, supplements and the like. They only sell 'Medikamente' which are allowed to be sold over the counter in Germany, which basically is Aspirin and everything that is even more harmless. You will not find the kind of drugs you typically get in a CVS in a German Drogerie.

Every serious drug is only sold in what is called 'Apotheke' = pharmacy.

In Germany Apotheke (pharmacy) and Drogerie (drug store) are very different. I think there is no real distinction between drug store and pharmacy in English, but I'm not sure. There is also Reformhaus which is pretty similar to a small Drogerie with a focus on healthy living.

EDIT: I checked my claim about the Aspirin and it seems I'm wrong. They are not even allowed to sell that. But it kind of reinforces my point: Drogerie doesn't really sell drugs in the sense the word is used in English.

[unanswered]

> I think there is no real distinction between drug store and pharmacy in English, but I'm not sure.

This is... oversimplified, at least. I'm sure usage differs by region, even within the United States, but where I am a "drug store" is a convenience store which either contains or historically contained a pharmacy (in the latter case, there appears to be a decent chance the store is an historical soda fountain/cafe). A pharmacy is a place where one buys prescription medications, often only being a section/counter of a larger store. I would never use the terms interchangeably: one does not buy household goods at a pharmacy, nor does a place become a "drug store" by the filling and sale of prescription medication.

[weinzierl]

Now that I read you comment I remember having seen this pharmacy within the drug store thing. I also remember that the lady there gave sort of medical advice to the customers and that I wondered if she was an MD or not.

[unanswered]

That's a whole other discussion about the nature of pharmacies too. The pharmacists themselves have specific degrees and I always assume they're more knowledgeable about things like drug interactions than even the prescribing doctors, if that's the kind of medical advice you mean. One probably works with pharmacy technicians at the desk though; I'm not sure about their qualifications. At the very least the techs can help me find the right OTC medicine if I want it as drug stores tend to locate those strategically near the pharmacy.

But many US pharmacy chains also have RNs onsite providing services, part time, for vaccines and such. That's not quite the same as an MD but it's different than pharmacology.

[eru]

In Germany, pharmacies have specific legal monopolies, and weird regulations, eg that forbid running a pharmacy chain. (It's a bit like unit banking in the US of yore.)

The pharmacists' lobby always defends them with 'oh, you need a proper pharmacist in a pharmacy to give people proper advice'. But whenever some intrepid journalist goes and tests the actual advice given by pharmacies in some bout of investigative journalism, the majority of pharmacies tested always fail dramatically.

[OJFord]

'Medicine'? 'Medications'? 'Prescriptions'? I'd say 'drugs' does lean quite strongly towards the illicit kind.

If a doctor asked me if I was 'taking any drugs', I would assume they wanted to know in confidence about anything recreational; not prescriptions/off the shelf medicine.

[eru]

Yes, it depends on context.

Eg if your wife asks you whether you've taken your drugs yet, she means the same thing as meds.

[GuB-42]

Same in France. "Médicament" is what you get from your doctor and "drogue" is what you get from your dealer.

As for the shops, the one that sells prescription and over-the-counter drugs is called "pharamacie", the next tier is "parapharamacie", which sells vitamins, essential oils, hygiene products, etc... "Drogueries" are actually hardware stores.