In our society, language is the prominent way of communicating ones ideas. When people are born, they learn how to speak by absorbing what language they hear around them. As people go through life, more specific forms of language may be used to suit different interactions. An example, is the terms, and style of language associated with drugs and other illegal activities. Certain language that is used while partaking in illegal activities, such as those relating to drugs, has arisen from those parties involved having to be able to communicate freely, while avoiding specific words that could lead to their illicit activities being disrupted (be it by the police, or just a nosy neighbor.)
The English that Americans use is very different from the version that came with the first American Settlers. Today, American language, or American vernacular, consists of a combination of many languages, incorrect use of English, slang, and other words that come about for certain purposes. I believe drug-related terminology and communication developed just like any other set of words, because of a need to communicate ideas that other existing words didn╣t accurately describe, while using the language skills and ideas of those people who are making up the words.
When a word is made up, it╣s form and meaning are all based on what is in the creators imagination. In the case of words associated with drugs, the creators were probably also users, and thus had a very warped sense of reality. This is evident in drug words that are simple, highly metaphorical, and filled with vivid imagery. The word │All-Star▓, which is used to describe a multiple drug user, has two meanings. It could be a reference to a person of high ability, or agility (one which is commonly used in sports), or more simply, it could be reference to what this drug user is seeing (All stars.) Aunt Hazel (heroin), Aunt Mary (marijuana), Aunt Nora (cocaine), and Aunti Emma (opium) are all seemingly harmless words. They invoke pictures of the │Traditional family▓ and caring, and completely hide against the drugs they are truly describing. Other words, like the ones used to describe Crack (Ice Cube, French Fries, Hamburger Helper), are a bit more obscure in their meanings.
Drug-Related communication is not just an inner-city entity. The exposure that mass communication (television, radio and computers) has brought to illegal activities, has spread Drug-related terms to every corner of our country. It would be just as easy to hear people speaking in these terms in a small village in Iowa, as it would to hear them in New York City. One reason for this, could be kids wanting to conform to a type of lifestyle that doesn╣t really exist in their environment. Another reason, could be that people across the country need to be able to communicate to get drugs. For example, you won╣t see a person walk up to a dug house anywhere, and say │Can I have one bag of Crack, Please?▓ They would surely face some opposition, because their language doesn╣t fit that of what is expected in that particular situation. Along the same lines, a police officer involved in an undercover sting of a drug house, would probably be well researched in the drug terminology of that area, in order to keep his true identity hidden, and at the same time not give away his lawful intent.
One characteristic of Drug-Related communication, is that it is heavily influenced by inner-city slang. There is a fairly easy flow of reasoning for this. Drugs are around where people need them. There are more people in the city, thus a higher concentration of drugs. Most areas of the city where drugs are found, are low income, as a result of police and community pressure keeping the drugs out of higher income neighborhoods. Lower income generally leads to less possibilities for education. Therefore, the language that surrounds drugs consists of many words that a highly educated person would not use, but are common place in worse parts of the city. This An example is the word │Yo.▓ It is commonly known to mean │hey▓, of a variety of other things, depending on the context, but you will never hear the President of The United States use it. This general lack of education also explains the simple nature of drug words. │Jet▓, │kool▓, │log▓, │buttnaked▓, and │cliffhanger▓ are all words that describe PCP, and they are also all very simple, easy to understand words.
Drug terminology is varied. Words exist to describe specific drugs, how these drugs are packaged, where to get them, and an endless variety of other related things. The fact that the drug trade exists around the world, means that words may not have universal meanings. A search of the keyword │Marijuana▓, on The Indiana Prevention Resource Center on-line dictionary1 , turned up 503 different words related to Marijuana. The word │nickel,▓ which in my neighborhood means a $5 bag of marijuana, is known in other neighborhoods as an eighth ounce of marijuana ($30 bag.) This can cause problems when you are asking for one drug and you end up getting another. This exact problem, revolving around the misunderstanding of drug terms, happened to me a few years ago.
I went to a well known drug house with the intent of purchasing a │dime bag of weed▓ ($10 of marijuana.) The house had an unusual system, where you would put you money in a cup at the end of a rope, and it was subsequently pulled up through a 2nd level window. I did this, and asked for a │Ten.▓ A few moments later, the cup was thrown down, and I looked in, only to find a crack rock! This led me to have to go through an unusual process of returning drugs, the whole time afraid the police station across the street would somehow become wise of my actions.
Drug terminology is ever changing. Because of the illegal nature of drugs, it is a necessity of those involved to constantly change their language to obscure their true intents. Changes occur so frequently, it would be impossible to publish an up-to-date dictionary of drug terms. There are lists of up to 3000 terms that relate to drugs, but once people got a hold of this information, new words have already been developed by the drug dealers and users, in order to keep their illegal actions hidden. People must work to stay one step ahead of law enforcement, if they are to persist in their unlawful actions.
Words and phrases used in relation to drugs are formed in the same way as any other language. If a person, or group of people need to describe something, they make up a word. The word may have other connotations, but for the particular group at hand the word has an understood significance. As people communicate with this original group, the word is spread, and more people understand it╣s meaning. Problems arise when people misunderstand a word, be it because of accents, or other reasons, which results in words changing. If I say, │a dime bag of bud,▓ and you mistake me for saying, │a damb bag of bad,▓ you might start using these different words. People you speak to may thing marijuana is now called │bad▓ as well as │bud▓, and use the words interchangeably. This is commonly seen when people misunderstand drug related words they hear on television, or the radio.
A simple way to explain how a word is formed in relation to drugs, is to take an example from my life. If I am talking to someone about drugs, there is no problem, unless we need to keep our conversation topic hidden. Then a new set of words may be needed. These words could be made up ahead of time, or when needed. The only criteria, is that both parties understand the words meaning, and it is inconspicuous to other listeners. Now, if we make up these new words to use around others, we are not going to flip-flop between the old words and the new, code like terms, so the new words are used all the time.
If I╣m on the phone talking about drugs, and my mother walks in, I want to be able to continue talking without revealing the illegal nature of the conversation. So, instead of saying │Marijuana▓, │LSD▓, or │a Five dollar bag▓, I could say │Green Day Bootlegs▓, │paper▓, or │a five▓, respectively. As you can see, the second list of words in no way reveals the nature of the conversation. It doesn╣t take much knowledge to also insure that the context of the conversation doesn╣t reveal anything.
Language is the principal form of communication in our society. If you need to convey a thought, or idea to another person, the odds are you will use language. When communicating with someone about a particular subject, such as drugs, it may be necessary to have a specific set of words. The terminology that has developed over over time, that deals with drugs, has enabled drug users and dealer to communicate, without the risk of divulging their illegal behavior.00.0.
