From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhard drugsˌhard ˈdrugs noun [plural] MDDDRUGvery strong illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine → soft drug
Examples from the Corpus
hard drugs• Our reporters uncovered a generation who have been sucked into a dark underworld of solvent abuse and hard drugs.• The linking of alcohol and hard drugs confuses health education messages.• Tobacco and alcohol are far more harmful than the so-called hard drugs, heroin and cocaine.• No topless dancers, no hard drugs, no trial.• She warned that even the first injection of hard drugs can kill.• Dealing in drugs, particularly hard drugs, is not an activity condoned by any of the community organisations on the estate.• He accepted that legalisation would not necessarily greatly increase addiction to hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin.• Is it fair to equate alcohol with hard drugs? 