Bennies, Dexies And Blue Angels

"The 25 is scarce, but we have plenty of bennies, dexies and blue angels. And the horse is here, but if you're a jay popper, don't get caught dirty." Pig Latin? A printer's mistake? No, this is the type of sentence you might hear if you were buying drugs. It's all part of the special language that has grown up around the drug culture. And whether it was devised by users as a disguise, or simply to sound "in", it often requires a relearning of the English language. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments recently deciphered the drug culture jargon in a report on available programs and resources fighting the use of drugs. But from the drug glossary presented in the report, it is evident the battle- must include understanding of drug prevention, treatment, and even drug talk. For instance, "Barbs" does not mean a bunch of dolls, it is slang for barbiturates. "Bennies" is not the plural of Ben, but benzedrine, an amphetamine. Other amphetamines are called "dexies," for Dexedrine, and "speed" and "crystal" for Methedrine. Heavy users of amphetamines and barbiturates are "pillheads," and their drugs are sometimes "blue angels", a barbiturate, "blue velvet", a combination of drugs, "rainbows", ' 'red devils", seconal, "jolly beans", meaning pep pills, and "yellow jackets", or Nembutal, a barbiturate. One of the most frequently used drugs is marijuana. While its most commonly used name is "pot", it also will answer to "hay", "weed", "grass", and "Mary Jane". A marijuana cigarette is a "reefer" or "joint", and the butt is a "roach". A "roach holder'' is a device for holding the butt of a marijuana cigarette. Drug addicts, however, usually progress on to more potent drugs, sometimes heroin, which also is called "norse", "scag" and "smack". A poor brand of heroin is "lemonade." One of the more widely known drugs is LSD, also called '25" (from its original designation of LSD-25), and "acid". Cocaine is called innocently enough "snow," and wood alcohol is referred to as "smoke." And while some people think of "uppers as the top part in a pair of teeth, to the user it means a stimulant such as cocaine and psychedelics. By the same reasoning, "downers" are sedatives such as alcohol, tranquilizers and narcotics. Someone who frequently uses LSD is known as an "acidhead" or a "cubehead". Narcotics addicts are also referred to as "junkies", "hopheads", "hype", "doper", and "head." Someone hooked on amphetamine and barbiturates is a "pill head", or "speedfreak", if he uses methedrine. A "pillhead" on an amphetamine binge is on a "run." A user of cocaine is a "cokie." The act of preparing and taking a drug is just as descriptive. Injection of drugs is known as "gang," "pop", ( 'fix", "skin popping", and 'mainlining." This, however, can result in "tracks" or scars where the needie was injected into the vein. A place where ' addicts gather to inject their . drugs is appropriately called a , "shooting gallery." Someone taking drugs orally , is "dropping' them, while inhalation of drugs is "snorting." To "ball" means absorption of ) stimulants and cocaine via genitatla. The equipment used to inject drugs is the , "works" or "layout", and this includes "satch cotton", cotton used to strain drugs before injection. To "cut" means to dilute the drug by adding another substance. Once the drug has been injected, inhaled or swallowed, the first reaction is the "flash." A strong effect from a drug is a "blast", and can lead to good or bad "trip", or experience while under the drug "Freakout" is another term for a bad trip. One danger of drugs is that the taker will "flip",meaning become psychotic. A person "on the nod" is someone sleepy from drugs, and "O.D." refers to an overdose of a drug. Someone buying narcotics may get a "nickle bag" or a "dime bag," meaning either a $5 or $10 purchase. Packets of drugs are known as "bags", "bindies" or "decks." A "dummy deck" means a purchase which did not include narcotics. While a "cop" is a police officer to most people, to the addict it means to obtain heroin. A seller of drugs is a "dealer", "connection" o r "pusher", and a "panic" is when the supply of narcotics is low. A user "coming down" is recovering from a trip, while "cold turkey" refers to a sudden withdrawal of narcotics. The effect from stopping use of and where a person crashes is and where a person crashes is a "crash pad." Someone "dirty," possessing drugs, is liable to be "busted", arrested, if he is caught "holding", meaning having drugs in their possession.