Drug Terms

July 5, 2001 12:02 PM

Drug Terms the President may not already know. Maybe the Pres is just trying to stay current on the lingo in case he falls off the wagon. via supersquish
posted by rev- (17 comments total)

I actually helped with that project - it's part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) site.

One of the things that my supervisor and I disagreed over was whether or not this was actually a useful index. While I thought the impulse was a good one, I argued that without context (usage and time frames) the whole thing was pointless. For example, does anyone use "horse" for heroin anymore?

I also pointed out that as slow as the federal law enforcement agencies were about disseminating information, that the terminology was doomed to be outdated and not terribly useful.
posted by Irontom at 12:27 PM on July 5, 2001

on the front page:"Rave," which describes a party designed to enhance a hallucinogenic experience through lights and music

*sigh*
that's right kids, in case you didn't know everyone who goes to a "Rave" goes there to 'enhance their hallucinogenic experience'. we 'ravers' also all wear phat pants 24-7, have glowstick collections, and eat tons of sugary candy.

somehow, i seriously doubt the person who wrote this has ever been to a 'rave'.
posted by darainwa at 12:30 PM on July 5, 2001

Thanks Irontom, I always wondered about that. In the two credit college wellness class that everyone has to take in NY, we got a similar sheet. My friends and I were cracking up at the outdated terms for weeks afterwards. I think my favorite was all the White derivative of cocaine, with White Lady being a particular favorite.
posted by alana at 12:34 PM on July 5, 2001

say, darainwa, don't you also walk around sucking on pacifiers all day & night, too? ;-)
posted by davidmsc at 12:37 PM on July 5, 2001

Substance-abuse fun fact: According to that guide, "George" is slang for heroin and "Bush" is slang for marijuana, cocaine or PCP.
posted by rcade at 12:44 PM on July 5, 2001

I think Huggy Bear from "Starsky and Hutch" uses it.
posted by rev- at 12:57 PM on July 5, 2001

Pity the poor parent that tries to be "hip" and slips some of these into a casual conversation.

KID: Hey, Dad, I'm gonna go see a movie tonight.

DAD: Okay, as long as you're not going to go use the "ABE'S CABE" I gave you to buy a "CAN" of "COCOA PUFF."

KID: Um, Dad? Are you high or something?
posted by ColdChef at 1:16 PM on July 5, 2001

Hey, does this count as a self-link? The "via Supersquish" link goes to Rev's website. He used the same tactic in a comment once before. It's pretty misleading to say you found a link via your own weblog.
posted by waxpancake at 1:39 PM on July 5, 2001

as a matter of fact, davidmsc, we do all walk around with pacifiers in our mouths on a regular basis as well. of course we only do this because they are laced with MDMA :-P

just for the record i used to go to 'raves' almost every weekend. sure some people were using various substances but no more than the number of people who do the same thing on any given weekend at my college's campus.
posted by darainwa at 2:48 PM on July 5, 2001

This was also the source for the absolutely brilliant Drug Slang Translator from Brunching Shuttlecocks.
posted by moss at 4:20 PM on July 5, 2001

Since when does "X" mean "marijuana"?

Where do they get this stuff, anyway? Every list of "drug slang" I've seen (maybe they're all the same list?) seems designed to make anyone who actually learns something from it sound like a complete idiot.

Maybe that's the point, and whoever came up with this list is secretly trying to tip people off - if someone comes up to you and starts using all sorts of bizarre terms to describe perfectly ordinary drugs, you'll know instantly that they haven't a clue.

-Mars
posted by Mars Saxman at 5:19 PM on July 5, 2001

I think we should all make up our own street names for drugs.

For example, I commonly refer to PCP as "donut banger."

What about y'all?
posted by solistrato at 9:25 PM on July 5, 2001

I refer to a speedball as a "Dick Cheney."
posted by dong_resin at 12:58 AM on July 6, 2001

I would call a blunt a "McCain".
posted by keithl at 1:40 AM on July 6, 2001

I call heroin horse, but I prefer to say smack. I hear the drug peddlers call it horse too, so I know I am cool.
posted by thirteen at 2:06 PM on July 6, 2001

I call cough medicine "cough syrup".

What?
posted by jpoulos at 8:27 PM on July 6, 2001