Teen Drug Slang

Teen drug slang is popular among youth who use drugs. They may use drug slang in text messages or when speaking with peers to prevent adults from knowing they are using or conversing about teen drug use. The following are common teenage drug slang terms for various types of drugs.

Marijuana

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teens use marijuana by rolling it into cigarettes called “joints,” or putting it inside empty cigars, referred to as “blunts.” Both of these methods involve smoking marijuana. Some teens will put marijuana into baked goods, such as cookies or brownies. Teens can also use marijuana by inhaling it through a vaporizer or smoking it out of a device called a “bong” or a “bowl.”

According to experts, common slang terms for marijuana include herb, joint, pot, grass and reefer. Another common slang term for marijuana is “weed.” Teenagers who use the drug will often describe the ingestion process as “smoking weed.”

DXM (Dextromethorphan)

Stanford Children’s Health reports that dextromethorphan, or DXM, is found in numerous over-the-counter cough medications. Teens may abuse it by taking large amounts of the drug to produce a hallucinogenic effect. DXM can be purchased in the form of cough syrups, tablets or capsules.

Teens drinking cough syrup may be referred to using the following slang terms:

• Dexies
• Red devils
• Robo
• Rojo
• Triple C
• Velvet
• Tussin
• Drix
• Gel
• Groove
• Poor man’s ecstasy

Stimulants

Teens may also abuse stimulant medications like Adderall and Ritalin, which are prescribed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. They can take these medications in pill form, crush them up and snort them, or inject them.

Slang terms for stimulant drugs include:

• Bennies
• Uppers
• Dexies
• Dominoes
• Pep pills
• Amies
• Amp

Inhalants

Inhalants are common drugs among youth and include substances like amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, these drugs were originally used to dilate the blood vessels of people with heart conditions. Teens may also inhale various liquids, such as glue, paint and nail polish remover. Teens can place containers up their noses to inhale vapors or products straight from the can.

Slang terms for drugs like amyl and butyl nitrite include:

• Poppers
• Snappers
• Pearls
• Boppers
• Rush
• Bolt

Teens may refer to liquid products such as nail polish remover by names like “air blast” or “spray.” Inhalant use is often called by its slang term, “huffing.”

Cocaine

Teens and cocaine use can involve either powder or crack cocaine. Powder cocaine can be snorted or injected, whereas crack cocaine is typically smoked in a pipe.

Common slang terms for powder form of cocaine include:

• Flake
• Coke
• Blow
• Snow
• Nose powder
• Big C
• Toot
• White lady

Some slang terms for crack cocaine are:

• Rock
• Baseball
• Piece
• Teeth
• Kibbles and bits

LSD

LSD, commonly known as acid, is a hallucinogenic drug that has a powerful effect on mood. Teens on acid use the drug by taking a tablet, licking it off of paper or putting its liquid form in their eyes.

Common LSD slang terms are as follows: windowpane, barrels, cube, white dust, purple haze, and sugar cubes. There may be other slang terms, but it is common for teenagers to refer to LSD simply as acid, which is derived from its chemical name of lysergic acid diethylamide.

Heroin

Teen heroin use can occur via skin popping, in which a needle is used to insert the drug just beneath the skin. Teens can also take a shot of heroin in the veins, a process referred to as “mainlining.” Powder heroin can also be snorted or smoked. Some teens will inhale heroin off of tin foil, and the slang term for this form of use is “chasing the dragon.” Less common forms of use include mixing heroin with lemon juice and taking it via nose dropper or injecting it into the nasal passages.

There are numerous ways to use heroin, just as there are a variety of slang terms for this drug, like:

• Smack
• Big H
• Junk
• Black tar
• China white
• Dope
• Scag

Meth

Methamphetamine, or “meth” is a stimulant drug. Teens typically use it by putting chunks of it into a glass pipe and smoking them. Meth can also be snorted or used intravenously, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Teen meth nicknames may include:

• Chalk
• Crystal meth
• Crank
• Crypto
• Glass
• Speed
• Crystal
• Ice

Teen drug use typically involves the use of slang terms when texting or communicating with friends about drugs. Unfortunately, using drugs can lead to teen addiction. If your teen has been using drug slang is demonstrating other signs of drug use, such as changes in behavior, giving up activities he or she previously enjoyed or struggling in school, it is possible he or she is struggling with teen substance abuse.

If your teen is struggling with drug use, he or she may need teen drug rehab. The Recovery Village has a team of caring, professional staff ready to take your phone call and answer any questions you may have about treatment for teen substance abuse. Contact the admissions department today to learn more.

Editor – Megan Hull

Megan Hull is a content specialist who edits, writes and ideates content to help people find recovery. Read more

Medically Reviewed By – Jenni Jacobsen, LSW

Dr. Jenni Jacobsen is a licensed social worker through the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. She has over seven years working in the social work field, working with clients with addiction-related and mental health diagnoses. Read more