Overview
“Habit-forming” is a legal definition, not a medical one, that refers to substances with a risk of introducing chemical dependence. Medical organizations like the World Heath Organization (WHO) have explicitly mentioned that “habit-forming” introduces confusion when we’re also considering the nuances of the definitions of “dependence” and “addiction.” Still, it persists in legal codes as a way to designate the potential risks of using certain drugs on their warning labels. To illustrate how contingent this label is on legal and political mechanisms, we can look at guidelines from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which explicitly state that habit-formings drugs:
are chemical derivatives of substances specified in section 502(d) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.