If you think “Special K” and “biscuits” are just for breakfast, it is time to brush up on your drug lingo, say addiction experts at The Menninger Clinic in Houston.
Here’s a translation: Special ‘K” is slang for Ketamine, a powerful hallucinogenic drug similar to PCP and LSD. A biscuit, or a tab, is a hit of the hallucinogenic drug ecstasy, commonly used at all-night dance parties or raves.
Like fashion, slang terms for drugs constantly change and evolve. Staying abreast of current slang terms for drugs, and which drugs are popular, can be challenging for parents. Some parents mistakenly believe their children share their naiveté about drugs. But a new study in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research found that parents substantially underestimate their children’s use of alcohol and other drugs. An estimated 23 percent of adolescents in the study, for example, admitted to using marijuana, while only 13.2 percent of their parents were aware of it. Authors of the study said parents of younger teens were less likely to be aware that their children were using drugs.
“Teens are beginning to experiment with drugs and alcohol as early as 10, 11 and 12 years of age,” said Lynn D’Antoni, an addictions counselor with the Adolescent Treatment Program at The Menninger Clinic. “Today it is not just alcohol and marijuana any more, it is also cocaine and street drugs like crystal meth (methamphetamine) and ecstasy.”
Some drugs terms linger from the hippie-era. Marijuana is still weed or pot, but these days it is also known as schwagg or chronic. Heroin is still called smack, but depending on the type of heroin it is, it may also be called brown sugar or black tar.
What else has changed? Take the following quiz to test your drug IQ, based on drug slang terms commonly heard by staff at The Menninger Clinic treating teens for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders such as depression. Answers follow the quiz.
1. “K-Hole” is slang for:
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a. A type of “Special-K,” or Ketamine
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b. Periods of Ketamine induced confusion
2. The pain killer OxyContin is also called:
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a. Oxies
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b. Cotton
3. Rophies is the nickname for:
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a. Rohypnol, the date rape drug
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b. The rush you feel after using cocaine
4. Fry sticks are:
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a. The act of injecting yourself with speed
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b. Marijuana cigarettes dipped in formaldehyde and sometimes laced with PCP
5. Inhaling a small amount of cocaine is called a:
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a. bump
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b. blip
6. Combining the prescription drug Viagra with Ecstasy is called:
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a. 24-7 heaven
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b. Sextasy
7. Amped out is:
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a. Fatigue after using amphetamine
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b. Using the maximum amount of steroids your body can take
8. “Working Man’s Cocaine” is a nickname for:
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a. Crack cocaine
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b. Methamphetamine, a powerful stimulant
9. A marijuana cigarette rolled with cocaine is called a:
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a. Primo
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b. Speedy
10. Juice is a slang term for:
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a. Steroids
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b. PCP
Answer key: 1 (b), 2 (b), 3 (a), 4 (b), 5 (a), 6 (b), 7 (a), 8 (b), 9 (a), 10 (both a or b).
How did you do? If you need to brush up on your slang, two good resources are the White House Office of Drug Control Policy http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse http://www.nida.nih.gov/drugpages.html. Remember, slang terms for drugs vary regionally and change frequently.
From a press release of the Menninger Clinic.
Street Drug Investigation: A Practical Guide For Plainclothes And Uniformed Personnel
43 Things Tags: Addiction, Alcohol, Drugs, Families, Opiates, Drug, IQ, Slang, Special K, Biscuits, Menninger, PCP, LSD, Oxycontin, Rohypnol
Alcohol Self-Help News 
yea…number 2 should be letter A. oxycontin is almost always referred to as oxies, OC’s, or by the number of milligrams the pill is (i.e. 80’s for 80mg OC). i live in philly, surrounded by junkies and drug dealers, know quite a few people addicted to oxies, and a few that have died from them. rarely will you ever find someone who calls them cottons…unless they’re from some suburb hick town and dont know what they are talking about..