Drug harmfulness or the difference between
Hard and Soft Drugs is the degree to which a
psychoactive drug is harmful to a user. Drug harmfulness is measured in various ways, such as by
addictiveness and the potential for physical harm. More harmful drugs are called
hard drugs and less harmful drugs are called
soft drugs. The term "soft drug" is considered controversial by its critics as it may imply that soft drugs causes no or insignificant harm.