Parents & Educators – Know The Facts

Before, teens had to go search for drugs and decide whether they should really risk it — going to the streets to buy drugs. But now, because it is so easily accessible on their feed and on their timeline, many are thinking “Why NOT?” The drugs being sold today are not what they are advertised to be. Most all the drugs purchased illegally today are laced with deadly amounts of fentanyl. This creates dangerous scenarios where the outcome can be deadly.

Facts about Fentanyl (Source: Alabama District Attorneys Association)

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent.
Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths.
Illegal fentanyl is being mixed with other drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and MDMA. This is especially dangerous because people are often unaware that fentanyl has been added.
Drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by kilogram. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.

Facts About Alabama Drug Usage

The location of the State of Alabama makes it a convenient spot for connections to illegal drugs. With the major interstates that run across Alabama, and with the close proximity to Atlanta, Georgia, a major illegal drug distribution area for the Southeast, the illegal drug trade is very active in Alabama.
An assessment is written each year to inform law enforcement agencies of current and potential illicit drug concerns that exist in Alabama and to assist in the planning of enforcement strategies and effective utilization of available resources for future operations. The diagram below depicts the greatest drug threat as documented by results from the 2023 GC HIDTA law enforcement survey respondents. There were 105 law enforcement respondents across Alabama that answered the greatest drug threat question. This year, fentanyl and other opioids was recorded as the number one greatest drug threat across the State. Fentanyl and methamphetamine are continuing to show increases in abuse, and fentanyl is now being seen mixed in and/or disguised with many illegal drugs.
Fentanyl overdose deaths in Alabama increased a staggering 135.9 percent from 2020 to 2021 (453 deaths in 2020 to 1,069 in 2021.) Click Here for More

#WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT KIDS BUYING DRUGS ONLINE

Kids used to have limited options for where they could find and get drugs: friends at school, home medicine cabinets, or on the street. Now, they don’t even have to leave their house. Buying drugs online has become increasingly popular and drug dealers are targeting kids on social media.” Click Here for More

Ease of Social Media Drug Dealing

Researchers at the Tech Transparency Project set up Instagram accounts representing several 13- to 15-year-old users. And what they found was alarming. On average, it took two clicks for the hypothetical teen to find a drug dealer. The researchers reported, “Not only did Instagram allow the hypothetical teens to easily search for age-restricted and illegal drugs, but the platform’s algorithms helped the underage accounts connect directly with drug dealers selling everything from opioids to party drugs.” “According to surveys, 81 percent of teens use Instagram and 77 percent of teens use Snapchat – a susceptible community for social media drug dealers.” Click Here for More
On social media, drug dealers often prey on teens to make sales. In some cases, they also sell deadly drugs to unsuspecting buyers. A teen may think they’re buying oxycodone or Xanax. Instead, they end up with fentanyl-laced pills—or even pure fentanyl. Click Here for More
Drug dealers have evolved from selling drugs on the street corners to utilizing social media to make transactions without ever leaving their homes. Finding these drug dealers is easy and can happen less than 3 minutes online.
Teens can buy drugs online or on social media, pay with digital wallet apps, and have the drugs delivered to their home without their parents’ knowledge.
Criminals are constantly referring to drugs by different names to avoid detection. In this age of technology, some of those words have been replaced with pictures and emojis.
In an effort to educate parents and caregivers about the new ways drugs are being bought and sold, the DEA released an “emoji decoder” detailing various ways that drug traffickers and criminal organizations are now communicating with customers. Click Here for More They may look innocent, but the combination of cookie, snowman, box, and parachute emojis can be code for “a large batch of cocaine has arrived.” A school bus is code for Xanax; a blue heart, methamphetamine. A maple leaf represents all drugs. Parents should really be aware of what this language is – it’s like a different language that our teens are using. Emojis, on their own, should not be indicative of illegal activity, but coupled with a change in behavior, change in appearance, or significant loss/increase in income should be a reason to start an important conversation.” Click Here for More

#COMMON OPIOID NICKNAMES

Many opioid medications and illicit opioids have slang or street names. A person may refer to a drug by a nickname or in slang to prevent loved ones or friends from knowing what they are using. Knowing the nicknames of opioids may help you determine if a loved one is abusing these drugs. Many of these drugs have nicknames that intentionally sound harmless so that parents don’t know what it is, despite the fact that opioids are highly-addictive and very dangerous. Recognizing these opioid drug slang names early on may also help prevent a person from becoming an addict. This is a comprehensive list of prescription opioid street names with their corresponding brand and generic names:

Oxycodone
- Brand names: Oxycontin, Percocet, Percodan
- Street names: Oxy, Hillbilly Heroin, Percs, O.C., Rims, Tires, Greenies
Hydrocodone
- Brand name: Lortab, Norco, Vicodin
- Hydrocodone street names: Vike, Bananas, Fluff, Hydros
Morphine
- Brand names: Kadian, Duramorph, MS Contin
- Street names: Miss Emma, Monkey, White Stuff, M
Codeine
- Brand name: Various
- Street names: Lean, Captain Cody, Little C, Schoolboy
Buprenorphine
- Brand names: Suboxone, Subutex
- Street names: Buse, Sobos, Strips, Oranges
Fentanyl
- Brand names: Actiq, Sublimaze
- Street names: Apache, China Girl, Goodfella, China White, TNT, Friend, Dance Fever
Hydromorphone
- Brand names: Dilaudid, Exalgo
- Street names: Smack, Dillies, Footballs, Juice
Methadone
- Brand names: Dolophine, Methadose
- Street names: Tootsie Roll, Red Rock, Mud, Dolls
Oxymorphone
- Brand name: Opana
- Street names: Biscuits, Mrs. O, O Bomb, Octagon
Tramadol
- Brand name: Ultram
- Street names: Chill Pills, Trammies, Ultras

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#COMMON OPIOID STREET SLANG NAMES

In addition to prescription opioids, there are also opioids and opioid combinations that are illicit and have no medical use. These drugs are sold on the street under both their common names and street names. Some people who use opioids may look for stronger forms of the substance illegally, like heroin. Street opioids may be less expensive, more readily available, and much more potent. Unfortunately, buying drugs on the street or internet can be extremely dangerous, as many of these drugs are “cut” with other substances that the user is unaware of. Common street opioids and their slang names include:

Black Tar Heroin
- Street names: Chiva, Mexican Black Tar Heroin, Mexican Tar
Cocaine with Heroin
- Street name: Speedball
Heroin
- Heroin street names: Black Tar, Black Pearl, Black, China White, Dope, White Girl, White Horse, Brown Sugar, White Lady, Smack, Snow, Snowball

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#WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK SOMEONE IS OVERDOSING

It may be hard to tell whether a person is high or experiencing an overdose. If you aren’t sure, treat it like an overdose – you could save a life.

Call 911 Immediately.*
Administer Naloxone, if available.**
Try to keep the person awake and breathing.
Lay the person on their side to prevent choking.
Stay with the person until emergency assistance arrives.

*states have laws that may protect a person who is overdosing or the person who called for help from legal trouble. ** Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose and save lives. It is available in all 50 states and can be purchased from a local pharmacy without a prescription in most states. Click Here for More