Street Names for Drugs - Complete A-Z Guide to Drug Slang & Nicknames

‍

Valium (Diazepam):

‍

Ativan (Lorazepam):

‍

Klonopin (Clonazepam):

How Benzos Are Used:
Orally in pill or liquid form; sometimes crushed and snorted

Why They're Dangerous:
Benzodiazepines are among the most difficult drugs from which to withdraw, benzo withdrawal can cause fatal seizures, unlike opioid withdrawal. Physical dependence develops within weeks of regular use. Combined with opioids or alcohol, they dramatically increase overdose risk by compounding respiratory depression.

Gabapentin

Gabapentin (Neurontin) is a nerve pain and seizure medication that has seen explosive misuse in recent years, particularly among people with opioid use disorder, who use it to enhance opioid effects or manage withdrawal. Multiple US states have rescheduled it as a controlled substance. In Maryland, gabapentin misuse is an increasingly recognized clinical issue.

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used:
Orally in capsule/tablet form; occasionally snorted

Why It's Dangerous:
Alone, gabapentin has a moderate risk profile. Combined with opioids or alcohol, it causes severe respiratory depression and dramatically increases overdose risk. It is increasingly found in overdose toxicology reports. Withdrawal can cause anxiety, insomnia, and seizures.

4. MDMA / Ecstasy

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic psychoactive with both stimulant and mild hallucinogenic properties. It produces intense feelings of emotional openness, euphoria, and sensory enhancement. It is popular at music festivals, raves, and clubs. "Molly" is often marketed as pure MDMA powder or crystal, though it is frequently adulterated with other substances.

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used:
Swallowed as pressed pills or capsules; powder snorted or dissolved in water; occasionally injected

How MDMA Affects the Body:
MDMA floods the brain with serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine simultaneously, producing euphoria, empathy, and energy. It also raises body temperature and heart rate. At high doses or in hot, crowded environments, hyperthermia (dangerously high body temperature) becomes a serious risk, compounded by dehydration.

5. Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens alter perception, thought, and sensory experience by disrupting serotonin signaling in the brain. They range from naturally occurring substances like psilocybin mushrooms to potent synthetics like LSD. "Bad trips", episodes of severe panic, terror, and paranoia, are a significant risk, as are triggering latent psychiatric conditions.

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used:
Placed on the tongue (blotter paper tabs); liquid form dropped on sugar cubes or directly in the mouth; gel tabs dissolved orally

Why It's Dangerous:
LSD is not physically addictive and overdose death is exceptionally rare, but psychological risks are significant. Bad trips can involve terror, paranoia, and dissociation lasting 8-12 hours. LSD can trigger or unmask psychosis and schizophrenia in susceptible individuals. HPPD (Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder), flashbacks that continue long after use, affects a subset of users.

Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used:
Eaten raw or dried; brewed into tea; mixed with food; capsule form

Why It's Dangerous:
Psilocybin has lower acute toxicity than most substances and is being studied for therapeutic use. The main risks are psychological: bad trips, triggering psychiatric conditions, and accidental injury due to impaired judgment. Misidentification of wild mushrooms (confusing them with toxic species) is a serious and potentially fatal danger.

PCP (Phencyclidine)

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used:
Smoked (most common- dipped cigarettes or joints), snorted, injected, or swallowed as tablet/capsule

Why It's Dangerous:
PCP is a dissociative anesthetic that causes profound disorientation, hallucinations, and sometimes violent or self-destructive behavior. Users may feel no pain, which can lead to serious injuries they don't register. High doses can cause seizures, coma, and death.

Ketamine

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used medically in surgery and pain management, and increasingly in clinical settings for treatment-resistant depression. Outside clinical use, it is misused as a party drug for its dissociative "K-hole" effects.

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used:
Injected (medical/veterinary form); snorted as evaporated powder ("K bumps"); swallowed in capsules; occasionally smoked

How It Affects the Body: At low doses, ketamine causes mild dissociation, euphoria, and sensory distortion. At high doses, it produces complete disconnection from reality, the "K-hole," described as a near-death or out-of-body experience. It causes amnesia, impaired motor function, and dramatically reduced inhibitions.

Salvia Divinorum

Street Names: Maria Pastora, Sally-D, Salvia, Magic Mint, Diviner's Sage

How It's Used: Smoked or vaporized; leaves chewed; tinctures under the tongue

Why It's Dangerous: Salvia produces a brief (5-15 minute) but extremely intense dissociative experience that can cause complete disorientation, fear, and uncontrolled physical movements. Falls and injuries during the experience are common. The intensity can be psychologically traumatic.

6. Cannabis / Marijuana

Marijuana, derived from the Cannabis plant, is the most widely used illicit substance in the US, though it is now legal in many states. Its legal status continues to evolve, but its potential for dependence (Cannabis Use Disorder) and its significant effects on developing brains are well-documented. Modern cannabis is significantly more potent than what existed decades ago.

Street Names — Traditional:

‍

Street Names — Specific Forms:

‍

How It's Used: Smoked as joints, blunts, or through pipes/bongs; vaporized; consumed in edibles; used as concentrates ("dabbing")

Why It's Dangerous: While cannabis has lower acute toxicity than many substances, risks include Cannabis Use Disorder (affecting approximately 9% of users, rising to 17% of those who start in adolescence), impaired cognitive development in young users, triggering psychosis in susceptible individuals (particularly with high-THC products), and impaired driving. High-potency concentrates produce effects dramatically stronger than traditional cannabis and are associated with higher rates of dependence and psychological distress.

7. Depressants & Club Drugs

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate)

GHB is a central nervous system depressant that occurs naturally in the brain in tiny amounts. Synthetic GHB produces euphoria and sedation at low doses. It is both a club drug and, notoriously, a predatory drug because it is colorless, nearly tasteless, and causes amnesia at high doses.

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used: Swallowed as a liquid (often disguised in water or drinks); occasionally in powder form dissolved in liquid

Why It's Dangerous: The dosing window between a euphoric dose and an overdose dose is extremely narrow. GHB causes rapid unconsciousness, vomiting (with aspiration risk while unconscious), respiratory depression, and death. Combined with alcohol, common in party settings, risk skyrockets. It is frequently used to incapacitate sexual assault victims and leaves the body quickly, complicating forensic evidence collection.

DXM (Dextromethorphan)

DXM is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough and cold medications. At recommended doses it suppresses coughs. At high doses it produces dissociative hallucinations. Teen misuse of cough medicine ("robotripping") is a persistent public health concern.

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used: Drinking large quantities of OTC cough syrup; taking many OTC cough/cold pills

Why It's Dangerous: High-dose DXM causes hallucinations, dissociation, and impaired motor control. Triple C (Coricidin HBP) is particularly dangerous because its antihistamine (chlorpheniramine) can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias at the doses teens use to get high. DXM is legal and easily accessible, making it a particular risk for adolescents.

Inhalants

Inhalants encompass a wide range of household and commercial products abused by inhaling vapors, glue, paint, aerosols, solvents, and nitrous oxide. They are disproportionately abused by young adolescents due to cost and accessibility.

Street Names: Huffing, Sniffing, Bagging, Chroming, Whippets (nitrous oxide), Poppers (amyl nitrite)

Why They're Dangerous: Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, cardiac arrest on the first or any subsequent use, is possible. Inhalants cause brain damage, liver and kidney damage, and hearing loss with repeated use.

8. Emerging & Newer Substances

This section covers substances that have risen in prominence, abuse, or public health concern since 2023 and were absent from most drug education resources.

Nitazenes

Nitazenes are a class of synthetic opioids developed in the 1950s but never approved for medical use. They have emerged in the illicit drug supply since approximately 2019 and are now the subject of DEA and CDC alerts. Some nitazenes are estimated to be 10 to 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

Known Street Presence: Because nitazenes are so new to the street supply, established slang names are still developing. They are typically sold as fentanyl or mixed into other opioids without the buyer's knowledge. They appear in powder, liquid, and pressed pill form.

Why They're Dangerous: Extreme potency even compared to fentanyl. Multiple doses of naloxone may be required to reverse overdose. Their presence in the drug supply is increasing and often undetected by users.

Kratom

Kratom is a plant from Southeast Asia (Mitragyna speciosa) whose leaves contain compounds that interact with opioid receptors. At low doses it produces stimulant-like effects; at high doses, opioid-like effects. It is sold legally in the US in powder, capsule, and liquid extract form, often in gas stations and supplement stores.

Street Names:

‍

How It's Used: Brewed as tea, swallowed as capsules, mixed into beverages (often called a "kratom shot" in gas stations)

Why It's Dangerous: Kratom produces physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms nearly identical to opioid withdrawal. It interacts with opioid receptors directly. The FDA has raised serious concerns, and kratom has been linked to overdose deaths, particularly when mixed with other substances. Lack of regulation means dosing is inconsistent and contamination is possible.

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice)

Synthetic cannabinoids are lab-made chemicals sprayed onto plant material and smoked, or dissolved and vaporized. They are falsely marketed as "safe" or "legal" alternatives to marijuana. They bear little chemical resemblance to THC and are far more dangerous.

Street Names: K2, Spice, Fake Weed, Mamba, Black Mamba, Scooby Snax, Joker, Kush (used misleadingly), AK-47, Green Giant

Why They're Dangerous: Synthetic cannabinoids are associated with psychosis, kidney failure, heart attacks, seizures, and death. They are not detected by standard drug tests, making them popular in populations subject to drug screening. Formulations change constantly to evade legal scheduling.

When to Get Help

Recognizing drug slang is a first step. The second, and more important, step is knowing when and how to act.

Drug addiction is not a moral failure or a lack of willpower. It is a chronic medical condition driven by changes to brain chemistry and structure. It is treatable. Thousands of MATClinics patients across Maryland have built sustainable, lasting recoveries, many starting with a single phone call.

Drug street names change faster than any single guide can track, but the substances behind them, and the damage they cause, follow consistent patterns. Whether the drug is decades-old heroin or a newly-emerged synthetic opioid, addiction operates the same way: it hijacks the brain's reward system, creates dependency, and makes stopping feel impossible without help.

This guide will be updated regularly by the MATClinics clinical team to reflect new substances, emerging slang, and changes in the drug supply. If you're reading this because you're worried about someone, trust that instinct. And if you're ready to take the next step, for yourself or a loved one, MATClinics is here.