The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 3 plus 7 letter word OVER THE COUNTER
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
O
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More clues leading to the result OVER THE COUNTER
- How some purchases are made — the opposite with deliveries
- Say how to buy drug patent with two drugs — the wrong way
- Public house emptied out, to combat one way of obtaining drugs
- Treatment of tooth and nerve: cure available without licence
- Upfront ambassador to oppose such a sale system
- Bald male by bar: ‘Like some drugs?’
- What’s up among public opposing how some drugs are sold?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "one /way of obtaining drugs" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one /way of obtaining drugs = over the counter.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does OVER THE COUNTER mean?
OVER THE COUNTER adjective- Legal for sale or distribution without the requirement of a prescription (of medicine and other treatments); abbreviated as OTC.
- Involving direct interaction between two parties without an intermediary. Thus, any market where items such as stocks or currency are bought and sold at a distance, rather than on the exchange.