Despite what the movies and tv shows might lead you to think, drug deals can happen anywhere at any time–they might even be going on around you right now. Drug dealers and users can talk fairly openly through their use of coded language, much of which involve terms that sound innocuous, ordinary, nonsensical, or even cutesy. Under these guises, it would be easy for a bystander to miss a drug exchange that happens right under their very nose. If you’re a concerned parent, friend, or family member of a suspected drug user, here are drug dealer slang terms you need to know.
Uncovering Drug Slang & Street Names
Drug slang consists of constantly evolving terms that refer to everything from sellers, buyers, the drug itself, and everything in between. Why? This insider drug code serves several key purposes. It makes illicit transactions easier to discuss in public, and a lot less obvious than using certain terms outright. It’s also a reliable way to identify authentic customers versus someone who might be an undercover cop). Last, and perhaps most importantly, drug slang makes it much more difficult for law enforcement to track drug-related actions.
As such, if you’re completely unfamiliar with illicit-drug vernacular it can be challenging figuring out where to begin. Although many slang terms for drugs are based on some play on the drug’s name, the street names aren’t always obvious–in fact, the majority of a drug’s street name will likely have (seemingly) nothing to do with what the drug’s actually called. A slang term could be based on the drug’s appearance, how it’s used, how it’s packaged, or how it makes people feel. Keep in mind that drug dealer slang can vary widely between countries and regions.
Slang About Acquiring & Using Drugs
Slang term for a dealer
- Cooker
- Dummy man
- Mad hatter
- Middleman
- Pill lady
- Pump
- Pusher
- Source
Slang term for a user
- Burnout
- Fiend
- Hophead
- Zombie
Slang term for being high
- Addled
- Baked
- Badgered
- Bashed
- Blasted
- Blitzed
- Bombed
- Crocked
- Crossfaded
- Crunched
- Faded
- Fried
- Geeked
- Juiced
- Keyed
- Krunked
- Lifted
- Lit (up)
- Smashed
- Sozzled
- Squiffy
- Wasted
- Zoned
- Zonked
Slang term for drug paraphernalia
- Blunt
- Bowl
- Bong
- Bubbler
- Doob(ie)
- Fatty
- Glass
- Hogger
- J(ay)
- Joint
- Left-handed cigarette
- One-hitter
- PAX
- Percolator
- Piece
- Pipe
- Rig
- Roach
- Sp(l)iff
- Vape
- Water pipe
Drug Street Names & Slang
If you’re hoping to get in the know about all street names for different drugs, you’re in for quite the challenge. According to DEA intelligence, certain drugs, such as cocaine, can easily have close to one hundred nicknames! And since the terms change so rapidly, memorizing old drug slang might not prove to be a fruitful endeavor. Instead, here are some of the most common street names of popular recreational drugs:
Amphetamine
- Gooey
- Louee
- Speed
- Uppers
- Whiz
Barbiturates
- Barbs
- Phennies
- Reds
- Red Birds
- Tooies
- Yellows
- Yellow jackets
Benzodiazepines
- Bars
- Benzos
- Blues
- Candy
- Chill pills
- French friends
- Planks
- Totem poles
- Tranks
- Zanies
- Z-bar
Cocaine
- Bump
- Big C
- Candy
- Charlie
- Dust
- Flake
- Pearl
- Rock
- Snow
- Sneeze
- Toot
- Yay(o)
Ecstasy/MDMA
- Adams
- Beans
- Clarity
- E
- Molly
- Scooby snacks
- X(TC)
Fentanyl
- Apache
- Cash
- China Girl/China Town
- Friend
- Goodfella
- Jackpot
- Tango
- TNT
Heroin
- Black / Black Tar/Black Pearl/Black Pearl/ Black Eagle
- Boy
- Brown/Brown Crystal/Brown Rhine/Brown Sugar/Brown Tape
- Bundle
- China White
- Dragon
- H
- Horse
- Junk
- Snowball
- Tar
- White horse
Marijuana
- Bud
- Broccoli
- Dona Juana
- Flower/Flower Power
- Grass
- Herb
- Jane
- Jolly Green
- Trees
Methamphetamine
- Chalk
- Christina
- Cookies
- Cotton Candy
- Cream
- Fire
- Glass
- Juice
- Ice
- Pookie
- Rocket Fuel
- Scooby Snacks
- Tweek
How To Use This Guide To Drug Dealer Slang
These street names are just the tip of the vast iceberg that is recreational drug use and is far from comprehensive. This guide merely highlights how diverse these terms are and how easy they might be to overlook in a conversation or text.
The takeaway from this article: Rather than relying on hearing–and knowing–drug code words that you recognize, look out for seemingly out-of-place words or phrases that your loved ones use repeatedly or perhaps in hushed tones. Behavioral cues will always be one of the most reliable ways to determine if someone you care about is using or addicted to drugs and will persist long after the latest drug terminology falls out of fashion.
Do you know someone who has a substance abuse problem? Get help quickly and learn more about the most common recreational drugs and the tell-tale signs of addictive behavior.
