# drug (chemical)

a substance that when taken causes a change in a body's condition

- Computed level: L13 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: drug

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [substance](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-substance.material), [change](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-change.process), [body](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-body.physical), [cause](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-cause.reason), [condition](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-condition.state), [take](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-take.acquisition)

**Through:** when a substance is taken and causes a change in a body's condition, the drug emerges

**Novel properties:**
- bodily effect
- causal agency
- altered state

## Examples
- Aspirin taken during a fever reduces inflammation and body temperature in humans. *(biology)*
- The Apollo 13 crew used lithium hydroxide canisters to remove CO₂ and prevent toxic buildup. *(engineering)*
- Methadone clinics in Vancouver dispense doses daily to stabilize opioid-dependent patients. *(institutions)*

## Used by
- [medicine](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-medicine.medical) (L20)

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-drug.chemical*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-drug.chemical.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*