How To Understand Modern Drug Slang

Marijuana, or cannabis, is a plant that is typically smoked and is a widely used drug across the US and worldwide. There are various terms used to refer to marijuana that is smoked, as well as variants of the drug such as edible items and oils. 

Slang terms for marijuana include: 

• Weed

• Spliff

• Joint

• 420

• Green

• Bud

• Dope

• Ganja

• Grass

• Hash

• Puff

• Purple haze

• Mary Jane

• Pot

• Skunk

• Gummies (edibles)

• Dabs (oil)

Oxycodone is an opioid painkiller often obtained through a prescription and abused by crushing and snorting. OxyContin, Percocet, and Roxicodone are some of the most commonly seen brand-name versions of oxycodone.

Slang terms for oxycodone include:

• Oxycotton (OxyContin)

• Percs (Percocet)

• Oxy

• O

• OC

• Hillbilly heroin

• Roxy or Roxies (Roxicodone)

• Bean

• Blues

• Buttons

• Kickers

Heroin is a very addictive illicit substance often administered by injection. The use of heroin in the US has increased in the last decade, along with the rise in prescription opioid use. ^[4]

Slang terms for heroin include:

• H

• Big H

• Black tar

• Brown sugar

• Horse

• Junk

• Dragon

• Scag

• Skag

• Smack

• Mud

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is significantly stronger than other opioids like heroin and morphine. Medicinal and illicitly produced fentanyl are sold and often mixed with other drugs because it is cheap and powerful.

Slang terms for fentanyl include:

• Tango

• F

• Fenty

• TNT

• China town

• China white

• Apache

• Cash

• Goodfella

• Dance fever

Many other opioids are widely abused, including prescription opioids such as hydrocodone, morphine, codeine, and methadone.

Slang terms for other opioids include:

• Percs (Percocet)

• Dreamer (morphine)

• Miss Emma (morphine)

• Morpho (morphine)

• Monkey (morphine)

• Fluff (Vicodin)

• Vics (Vicodin)

• Hydros (hydrocodone)

• Cody (codeine)

• Schoolboy (codeine)

• Done (methadone)

• Dollies (methadone)

Cocaine is one of the most widely abused substances and is often used as a powder to be snorted, smoked, or injected, or as a crystal (crack cocaine) which is usually smoked.

Slang terms for cocaine include:

• Blow

• Nose candy

• Rail

• Coke

• Crack

• Snow

• White

• Sniff

• Bump

• Rock (crack)

Methamphetamine, meth, or crystal meth is a powerful stimulant that is sold as a white powder or crystal. It is highly addictive with a high potential for abuse and harmful effects.

Slang terms for meth include:

• Crystal

• Ice

• Amp

• Crank

• Blue

• Chalk

• Chicken feed

• Shatter

• Speed

• Tina

• Super ice

• Tweak

Adderall is a medication commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is also widely abused by young people to improve academic or athletic performance and is easily accessible due to the regularity with which it is prescribed.

Slang terms for Adderall include:

• Christmas trees

• Addy

• Smarties

• Study skittles

• Beans

• Dexies

• Pep pills

• Study buddies

• Zing 

Xanax (alprazolam) is a benzodiazepine, commonly prescribed to treat anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines, such as Xanax, are highly addictive and are widely abused.

Slang terms for Xanax include:

• Zannies

• Xanies

• Bars

• Benzos 

• Footballs

• Upjohns

• Yellow boys 

• Bricks 

Psychedelic substances include ketamine, MDMA, LSD, psilocybin (mushrooms), DMT, mescaline, and PCP. There are several different slang terms for these drugs.

Ketamine

Ketamine is a sedating anesthetic, originally used in veterinary medicine and now commonly abused for its effects. 

Slang terms for ketamine include:

• K

• Special K

• Vitamin K

• Wonky

• Cat food

• Jet

• Donkey

• Kit Kat

LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a hallucinogen. It is not available on prescription and is produced and bought illicitly. It is commonly sold as a liquid or on small squares of paper.

Slang terms for LSD include:

• Acid 

• California sunshine

• Looney tunes

• Lucy in the sky with diamonds

• Tabs

• Yellow sunshine

• Lucy 

• L

• Dots

• Blotter

• Blue moon

Mushrooms

Psilocybin is a psychoactive substance found in various types of mushrooms, which are consumed for their psychedelic effects. 

Slang terms for mushrooms include:

• Shrooms

• Magic mushrooms

• Alice

• Buttons

• Cubes

• God’s flesh

• Liberty caps

• Mushies

• Psilly Billy

• Stemmies

• Tweezes

DMT

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a hallucinogen with no recognized medicinal uses in the US. DMT is typically sold as a white powder which is administered by smoking, snorting, or injecting or is brewed into a tea known as ayahuasca.

Slang terms for DMT include:

• Dimitri

• Aya (ayahuasca)

• Yagé

PCP

Phencyclidine (PCP) is a hallucinogenic anesthetic. It is less commonly used compared to other illicit substances but can lead to various adverse effects, particularly psychosis and severe depression.

Slang terms for PCP include:

• Angel dust

• Rocket fuel

• Ozone

• Ashy Larry

• Blue whack

• Blue star

• Dipper

• Elephant tranquilizer

• Purple rain

• Zombie 

Mescaline

Mescaline is a psychoactive substance found in the San Pedro and Peyote cacti. Historically, mescaline has been used in religious and spiritual ceremonies, although it is now also a drug of abuse within the US.

Slang terms for mescaline include:

• Buttons (Peyote)

• Big Chief

• Cactus

• Halfmoon

• Mescal

• Mescapade

• Microdot

• Moon

• Shaman

MDMA

Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), also known as ecstasy, is a stimulant and hallucinogenic substance. It is often sold in a powder or pill form, which is swallowed or snorted.

Slang terms for MDMA include:

• Molly

• E

• Eve

• Adam

• Love drug

• Mercedes

• X

• Pingers

• Rolls

• Happy pill

• Disco biscuits

Inhalants are typically household items that release fumes, such as glue or cleaning products. These are often breathed in from a bag (known as huffing) or inhaled directly from the container.

Slang terms for inhalants include:

• Snappers

• Duster

• Poppers

• Whippets

• Nitrous 

• Air blast

• Huff

• Laughing gas

• Oz