Alma 40:26 reads in part: “[A]nd they drink the dregs of a bitter cup.” ‘Dregs’ is a biblical term; used once in Psalms, and twice in Isaiah. The Isaiah verses are duplicated in 2nd Nephi. However, the handwritten Book of Mormon Printer’s Manuscript (“PM”) utilizes the word ‘drugs’ and not ‘dregs.’ John Gilbert (1830 typesetter) must have assumed the prophet (or Oliver) made a mistake, and arbitrarily assigned the word ‘dregs’ in its place.

Royal Skousen’s assessment of this innocent error matches what is described above.

This is a bit of a stretch, because the Original Manuscript (“OM”) ALSO has the word “drugs” in it. The assumption would have to be made that Oliver Cowdery not only misheard Joseph Smith saying ‘drugs’ (in place of the known OT instances), and wrote ‘drugs’ unintentionally, but then in late 1829, duplicated this same error in the “PM.” Admittedly, the word “drugs” does not fit well in the Alma passage, but are we relegated to concede the typesetter knew better than a prophet of God and his faithful scribe?