Substance Abuse: Medical and Slang Terminology

Authors and Disclosures

Humera Hamid, BA , Rif S. El-Mallakh, MD , and Keith Vandeveir, CADC , Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

Sidebar: Key Points

• A listing of medical and slang names for commonly abused drugs is presented.

• Subjective and objective effects of these drugs are presented.

• Medical and street utility of the drugs are also presented.

Appendix: Listing by Slang Terms

A-bomb: combination of marijuana with heroin
Atom Bomb: see A-bomb
Acapulco Gold: marijuana
Acid: LSD
Adam: MDA, MDE, MDMA, MMDA
Alley juice: nonbeverage isopropyl and methyl alcohol
Amytal: amobarbital
Angel Dust: PCP
Base: cocaine free base
Barbs: barbiturates
Bennies: amphetamines/speed
Beverage: alcohol
Bhang: marijuana
Billy: speed
Black Beauties: amphetamine/speed
Black Tar: heroin
Blotter Acid: LSD
Blotters: LSD
Blow: cocaine
Bluebirds: barbiturates
Blues: barbiturates
Blue-Bottle: nitrous oxide
Bombitas: combination of heroin with amphetamines
Booze: alcohol
Brew: alcohol
Burgers: ecstasy
Butisol: butabarbital
Butts: tobacco
"C": cocaine
Café: caffeine
Cafergot: combination of caffeine with ergotamine
Cancer Sticks: tobacco
Cannabis Sativa: marijuana
Cat Valium: ketamine
Charlie: cocaine
Chasing the dragon: smoking (vapor)
Cherry Meth: γ-hydroxybutyrate
China White: heroin (or analogs of synthetic narcotics)
Chocolate: contains caffeine
Cigs: tobacco
Cocoa: contains caffeine
Coffee: seeds of
Coffea arabica with caffeine as active ingredient
Coke: cocaine
Colombian: marijuana
Concentrated Resin: marijuana (concentrated resin form)
Copilots: amphetamines/speed
Cough medicine: contains alcohol
Crack: cocaine free base
Crank: amphetamines
Crystal: PCP or amphetamines/speed
Desoxyn: amphetamines/speed Dexedrine: amphetamines/speed
Dexies: amphetamines/speed
Devil's Dandruff: cocaine
Diet pills (Rx): amphetamines
Disco Biscuits: ecstasy
Dolly: methadone
Dope: marijuana
Dots: LSD
Doves: ecstasy
Downers: barbiturates
Dust: heroin
Dynamite: combination of cocaine with heroin
Easy Lay: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Eccies: ecstasy
Echoes: ecstasy
Ecstasy: MDA, MDE, MDMA, MMDA
Espresso: caffeine
Eye openers: amphetamines/speed
Fantasy: ecstasy or γ-hydroxybutyrate
Fiorinal: combination of amobarbital and secobarbital with weak heroin and methamphetamine
Flake: cocaine
Free-base: cocaine free base
French fries: crack cocaine (free base cocaine)γ-10: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Ganja: marijuana
Gas: Nitrous Oxide
Georgia Home Boy: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Get Roached: to be under the influence of flunitrazepam
GHB: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Glue: inhalant
Goofball: barbiturates
Gook: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Grass: marijuanaGrievous Bodily Harm: γ-hydroxybutyrate
G-riffick: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Guarana: caffeine
Guaranine: caffeine
"H": heroin
Hash: marijuana (concentrated resin form)
Hashish: marijuana
Hashish Oil: marijuana
Hemp: marijuana
Home-Grown: marijuana
Honey Oil: marijuana
Horse: heroin
Hug Drug: ecstasy
Indian: marijuana
Indica: marijuana
Jamaican: marijuana
Jive: marijuana
Joint: marijuana
Juice: alcohol
Junk: heroin
K: ketamine
Ket: ketamine
Killer Weed: combination of marijuana with PCP
LSD-25: LSD
Laughing Gas: nitrous oxide
Lid poppers: amphetamines/speed
Liquid-E: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Liquid-G: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Liquid Incense: butyl nitrite
Liquid-X: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Locker Room: butyl nitrite
Look-alike Amphetamine: combination of caffeine with PPA and ephedrine
Love Drug: MDA, MDE, MDMA, MMDA
Ludes: methaqualone
Luminal: phenobarbital
"M": morphine
Magic Mushrooms: psilocybin
Mainlining: solution injected into bloodstream
Marching Powder: cocaine
Mary Jane: marijuana
Maui-Wowie: marijuana
Meth: amphetamines/speed
Mexican: marijuana
Mexican Mud: heroin
Mexican Valium: flunitrazepam
Microdots: LSD
Morf: morphine
Mouthwash: contains alcohol
MPPP: analogs of synthetic narcotics
MPTP: analogs of synthetic narcotics
Natural Stimulant: caffeine
Nature's Quaalude: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Nembutal: pentobarbital
Nitrous: nitrous oxide
O J : combination of marijuana with opium
Organic Quaalude: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Panama Gold: marijuana
Panama Red: marijuana
PCP: phencyclidine
Peace Pill: PCP
Pearl-Flake: cocaine
PEPAP: analogs of synthetic narcotics
Pep-Pill: caffeine OR amphetamines/speed
Peruvian Marching Powder: cocaine
Peyote: mescaline
Peyote Buttons: mescaline (peyote cactus)
Poppers: butyl nitrite
Pot: marijuana
R -2: flunitrazepam
Ragweed: marijuana
Readyrock: crack cocaine (free base cocaine)
Reefer: marijuana
Rib: flunitrazepam
Roach: marijuana
Roach: flunitrazepam
Roche: flunitrazepam
Rock: cocaine free base
Rohypnol: flunitrazepam
Roofies: flunitrazepam
Room Deodorizer: butyl nitrite
Rope: flunitrazepam
Ro-Shay: flunitrazepam
Run-Trip-and-Fall: flunitrazepam
Rush: butyl nitrite Salty Water: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Sauce: alcohol
Scag: heroin
Schoolboy: codeine
Scoop: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Seconal: secobarbital
Sexual Assault drug: flunitrazepam or γ-hydroxybutyrate
Shrooms: psilocybin
Sinse: marijuana
Sinsemilla: marijuana
Skin-popping: injected under skin
Smack: heroin
mokes: tobacco
Snorting: sniffing (powder)Snow: cocaine Soap: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Solvent: inhalant
Somatomax: γ-hydroxybutyrate
Sopor: methaqualone
Special K: ketamine
Speed: amphetamines
Speedball: combination of cocaine with heroin
Stardust: cocaineSticks: marijuana
Stiva: marijuana
Supergrass: combination of marijuana with PCP
Synthetic Heroin: analogs of synthetic narcotics
Tabs: LSD
Tea: leaves of Thea sinesis (term sometimes used for marijuana or PCP)Thai-sticks: see "Sticks"
THC: PCP
Three-inch Sticks: crack cocaine (free base cocaine)
Toot: Cocaine
Tooties: barbiturates
Transmission Fluid: inhalant
Trips: LSD
Tuinal: amobarbital and secobarbital with butalbital, aspirin, and caffeine Typewriter Correction Fluid: inhalant
Ups: amphetamines (or nonprescription stimulants)
Uppers: amphetamines (or nonprescription stimulants)
Vino: alcohol
Vitamin K: ketamine
Wake-ups: amphetamines/speed
Weed: marijuana
Weed Oil: marijuana
Whippitts: nitrous oxide
White Stuff: morphine
Whiz-bang: combination of cocaine with heroin OR cocaine with morphine
Whizz: speed
Windowpane: LSDXTC: MDMA, Ecstasy
Yellow-Jackets: barbiturates
Yerba mate: caffeine from leaves of ilex paraguariensis
Zonked: γ-hydroxybutyrate
714's: methaqualone