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Content Reviewed By:
SUD treatment executive, national news contributor & keynote speaker.
Updated:09/16/2024
Navigation:
- Cracking the Code by Category
- Fake Prescription Emoji Symbols
- Dealer Advertising Symbols
- General Drug Symbols
- Emojis to Illustrate the Effects of Drugs
Parents and older generations, in general, have long faced a literacy gap in the way younger generations communicate with one another, and the advent of emojis is just another chapter in that saga. Unfortunately, however, the stakes are higher than ever these days as many dealers, manufacturers, and buyers are using emojis to buy and sell drugs.
Police, parents, and society as a whole have been lagging in their ability to crack this ever-evolving and increasingly cryptic code as young people become increasingly vulnerable to overdose from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Thankfully, however, more and more light is being shed on what these symbols mean and how to detect them in text and social messages. Here’s how you, as a parent, loved one, or friend, can spot emoji codes for drug deals.
Cracking the Code by Category
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other organizations have been working consistently to identify what emojis mean in the context of drug use and deals. They’ve developed a series of categories with emoji indicators that correspond to each meaning. Below are some of the most illuminating findings from their investigation of which parents, educators, caregivers, and friends of people who are vulnerable to drug use should be mindful:
Fake Prescription Emoji Symbols
Percocet and oxycodone are often represented with bananas 🍌, P signs 🅿️, red and yellow pills 💊, and blue circles 🔵. Xanax and Adderall are also commonly represented with red and yellow pill signs. Other symbols for Xanax include a chocolate bar 🍫 and a bus 🚌, while Adderall is often depicted with a train symbol 🚆.
Dealer Advertising Symbols
Dealers often use a variety of money-related symbols to indicate the price, quality, potency, and batch size of their product. Common symbols include, but are not limited to:
- Crown – 👑
- Bag of money – 💰
- Plug – 🔌
- Stack of cash – 💵
- Face with dollar signs for eyes and tongue – 🤑
- Rocketship – 🚀
- Bomb – 💣
- Crash – 💥
- Cookie – 🍪
Delivery symbols for drug dealers often include a cell phone📱, a gas pump ⛽, a parachute 🪂, and a box 📦. The maple leaf 🍁 is frequently used as the universal symbol for drugs.
General Drug Symbols
Methamphetamine
- Blue heart – 💙
- Crystal ball – 🔮
- Diamond – 💎
- Test tube – 🧪
Cocaine
- Eightball – 🎱
- Face with tongue out – 😛
- Key – 🔑
- Parrot – 🦜
- Snow cloud – 🌨️
- Snowflake ❄️
- Snowman – ⛄
- Blowfish – 🐡
- Diamond – 💎
Heroin
- Brown heart – 🤎
- Dragon – 🐉
Marijuana
- Evergreen tree – 🌲
- Four-leaf clover – 🍀
- Joint – 🚬
- Palm tree – 🌴
- Plant – 🌿
Molly (MDMA)
- Candy – 🍬
- Cross mark – ❌
- Lightning bolt – ⚡
- Red heart – ❤️
Cough syrup is often depicted through grapes 🍇, purple hearts 💜, and baby bottles 🍼, while magic mushrooms are, predictably enough, often symbolized through mushrooms 🍄.
Emojis to Illustrate the Effects of Drugs
In addition to symbols used by dealers and those that indicate types of drugs, people often use emojis to indicate the possible and actual effects of drugs, including:
- Smiley face with no mouth and egg- 😶🍳
- Sad face and smoke puff – 😌💨
- Surprised face and flame- 😳🔥
- Surprised smiley face and leaves – 😳🍃
Use context clues from messages and other behavioral indicators to determine if your loved one is buying or selling drugs. If they are, talk to them about getting help right away in rehab.
