Street Names for Drugs – What’s in a Word?

A type of organic compound containing a hydroxyl (OH) group bound to a carbon atom. Most people are familiar with ethyl alcohol (ethanol), which is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, but alcohol compounds can also be found in cosmetics, household cleaners, pharmaceutical products and industrial products.

Bevie, Booze, Coldie, Drop, Firewater, Flagon, Frothy, Giggle Juice, Goon, Goonbag, Goonjuice, Grog/Grogg, Hard Stuff, Hooch, Juice, Liquid Courage, Longneck, Moonshine, Nightcap, Party Punch, Plonk, Piss, Poison, Pre’s (preload before going out), RTD’s (ready to drink), Sauce, Sherbet, Shooter, Sips, Slab, Spirit, Tipple, Vino.

A flowering plant in the Cannabaceae family originating from the continent of Asia. Three main species are recognised, most commonly Cannabis sativa, that contain the active compounds of delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabinoids (CBD). Can be found as marijuana (leaf form), hashish (resin), hash oil & concentrates.

420, Ashes, Atshitshi, Aunt Mary, Baby Bhang, Bammy, Blanket, Blaze, Bobo, Bobo Bush, Bomber, Boom, Broccoli, Bud, Bush, Bushies, Bush Weed, Cali, Cheeba, Chop, Chronic, Cripple, Dagga, Dank, Ding, Dinkie Dow, Dona Doobie, Dona Juana, Dope, Flower, Flower Power, Flower Tops, Gasper, Giggle Smoke, Giggle Weed, Good Butt, Good Giggles, Grass, Green, Gunja/Ganja, Hash, Hashish, Head, Hemp, Herb, Hot Stick, Hydros, Jane, Jay, Jolly Green, Jolly Green Giant, Joy Smoke, Joy Stick, Juanita, Keefer, Maryjane, MJ, Mull, Pot, Purple Haze, Reds, Reefer, Roach, Shisha Hooch, Sinsemilla, Skunk, Smoke, Spin, Spliff/Joint/Blunt (ready rolled), Trees, Weed, Yarndi/Yandi, Za/Zaza.

Made from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylon coca), native to South America. The leaves are harvested and processed with a range of common fuels to produce cocaine in liquid form. This is then processed with other chemicals to produce coca paste/base. Combined with bicarbonate soda, it creates a smokeable form of cocaine, ‘crack cocaine’, not commonly seen in Australia. Coca paste is further processed with hydrochloric acid to produce crystalline cocaine, which is dried to produce cocaine powder.

8 Ball, Blow, C, Charlie, Coke, Crack, Dust, Freebase, Nose Candy, Pebbles, Percy, Pixie Dust, Powder, Rock, Rocks, Sniff, Snow, Star Dust, Stones, Toot, Wash, White, White Stuff, Zombie Drug.

Heroin belongs to the opiate group of drugs, natural products of the opium poppy. Poppy pods contain a milky substance that is dried to create opium. Further processing produces codeine, morphine & acetylmorphine (heroin). Found in multiple forms, including ‘black tar’ (smokeable form, not common in Australia), white, beige or brown powder (injectable form). Commonly sold mixed/cut with other additives.

Black, Black Eagle, Black Pearl, Black Stuff, Black Tar, Boy, Brown, Brown Crystal, Brown Rhine, Brown Smack, Brown Tape, China White, Chinese H, Dope, Downtown, Dragon, Dr Harry, Gear, H, Hammer, Harry, He, Homebake, Horse, Junk, Mexican Brown, Mexican Mud, Mexican Horse, Mud, Number 3, Number 4, Number 8, Sack, Scat, Skag, Skunk, Smack, Snow, Snowball, Sugar, The Dragon, White, White Boy, White Dynamite, White Girl, White Horse, White Lady, White Nurse, White Stuff.

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid approximately 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. Used safely & effectively in medical settings as a prescription opioid (liquid, pill, soluble, patch form) but often diverted for the illicit drug market and mixed with other drugs, including heroin, cocaine & methamphetamine.

Actiq, Apache, China Girl, China White, Dance Fever, Duragesic/Durogesic, Fake Oxy, Fanta, Fent, Fetty, Friend, Goodfella, Jackpot, Murder 8, Patch, Tango and Cash, Serial Killer (US/Canada), Street Oxy, TNT.

A synthetic short-acting anaesthetic used in medical and veterinary practice. Typically found in white/beige powder form to be ingested, shelved/shafted, but may be found in liquid or pill form.

Blind Squid, CanKet, Cat Valium, Designer K, Fake K, Green, Green K, Honey Oil, Horse Trank, Jet, K, Kay, Ket, Ketters, KHold, K-Hole, Kit-Kat, Kitty, Kitty-Ketty, MXE (very common name in Australia), Purple, Special K, Special La Coke, Super Acid, Super K, Tranq/Trank, Vitamin K.

A synthetic, man-made substance made to mimic THC effects. Commonly mixed with solvents and sprayed onto leaf/plant matter to mimic the look of cannabis and to provide a smokable form. Can be ingested through food, drink or edible products, or used in a liquid form in vapes/e-cigarettes.

Black Mamba, Bliss, Bombay Blue, Cloud 9, Designer Weed, Fake Grass/Weed, Fire, Genie, Herbals, Incense, Joker, K2, K2 Drug, K3 Drug, Kush, Kronic, Legal Highs, Legals, Moon Rocks, Nice Guy, No More Mr Nice Guy, Scooby Snax, Skunk, Solar Flare, Spice, Synnies, Synthetics, Yandi/Yarndi, Yucatan, Zambi, Zohai.

MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic drug often used at festivals, parties & nightclubs. MDMA is commonly seen in capsule or tablet form, but also in crystalline or powder form. It is often mixed with other drugs & ‘fillers’, so it is very difficult to know what reactions to expect. MDMA can be used effectively in some therapeutic treatment settings.

Adam, Beans, Bikkies/Biccies, Candy, Candy Flip, Caps, Clarity, Dancing Shoes, Disco Biscuits, E, E-Bomb, Eccies, Ecstasy, Egg Rolls, Eve, Ex, Happy Pills, Go, Hug, Hug Drug, Love Drug, Lover’s Speed, Malcolm, Malcolm X, Molly, Moon Rocks, Peace, Pingers, Rolls, Scooby Snacks, Smartees, STP, The Vowel, Triple Stacks, Uppers, Vitamin E, Vitamin X, Vowel, E, X, XTC.

Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug and an amphetamine derivative. Methamphetamine is found in three forms of differing purity, commonly known as speed, base & ice. Speed is usually found as a powder or in tablet form. Base is an oily substance not commonly used in Australia. Ice crystals or powder are the purest forms found in Australia.

Chalk, Christina, Clouds, Cookies, Cotton Candy, Crack, Crank, Cream, Crissy, Cristy, Crystal, Crystal Meth, Dunk, Fire, Gak, Garbage, Gear, Glass, Go, Goey, Go Fast, Go-Go Juice, Ice, Meth, No Doze, No Stop, Pips, Pixie Dust, Pookie, Puff, Rock, Rocket Fuel, Scooby Snacks, Shabu, Shards, Speed, Tina, Trash, Tweek, Uptown, Wash, White Cross, Whizz.

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate) is a synthetic drug first developed for use as an anaesthetic. More recently, it has been associated with nightclub and rave scenes. Usually found as a liquid sold in vials, bottles or fish-shaped soy sauce containers. Less often found in powder, pill or tablet forms. GBL (Gamma Butyrolactone) and 1,4-BD (1,4-Butanediol) are closely related to GHB and also commonly used in Australia.

1,4-BD, Date Rape Drug, Fanta, Fantasy, Fishies, G, GBL, Geeb, Georgia Home Boy, Gina, Goop, Grievous Bodily Harm, Juice, Liquid Ecstasy, Liquid Ex, Liquid X, Scoop, Soap.

A liquid solution in e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, that delivers an aerosol by heating a liquid in the canister. The main ingredient of vape liquid is propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine or glycerol. Many vapes also contain nicotine, flavourings and a range of other potentially harmful chemical contaminants. Other drugs, including cannabis, methamphetamine, MDMA and heroin, have been used in vaping devices.

ADV, BIDI Stick, Blu, Carts, Choof, Cuvie, Dabs, Drip Tip, E-Cigs, E-Hookah, E-Juice, E-Liquid, E-Pipe, Ghost, Juice, Juul, Mod, Nic Stick, Njoy, Novo, Pens, Puff Bar, Shatter, Smoke Juice, Tank, Vape Juice, Vape Stick, Vaper, Vooping, Vuse, Wop, Wop Machine.