Molly, Spice, and Orange Crush: Slang for Dangerous Drugs

You overhear two girls talking about last night’s concert, when one says to the other “I can’t believe she took 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine!” Oh, wait. That would never happen, right? Probably because “Molly,” the nickname given to MDMA, sounds hip and harmless compared to its actual name—which sounds like what it is, a chemical that you shouldn’t put in your body. Same goes for cathinones, otherwise known as “Ivory Wave,” “Bloom,” “Cloud Nine,” “Lunar Wave,” “Vanilla Sky,” “White Lightning,” and “Scarface” when they are marketed as bath salts—and more recently, as plant food and jewelry cleaner. (But why anyone would want to consume bath salts, plant food, or cleaner is hard to imagine.) Even drug names that are not chemical compounds get the short-hand treatment: Heroin is sometimes known as “smack,” and cocaine is often called coke or “blow.” Why Not Just Call it What it Is? Drug dealers are salesmen, and they know that calling drugs funny or trendy names makes their products seem cool. That makes the buyer feel cool too—like they’re part of the in crowd. Street names are a marketing ploy, a way for people who sell drugs to make them seem more appealing, as well as safe—not harmful, like they really are. Think about “Spice” for example. It sounds like it could easily be found in the kitchen cabinet, next to the oregano, basil, or garlic powder. Even “fake marijuana” sounds almost natural compared wit...
Source: NIDA Drugs and Health Blog - Category: Addiction Authors: Source Type: blogs