A look at drug emojis used by teenagers is the beginning of a new series. Parents Need To Know will be an ongoing series by Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) that provides valuable information for parents and guardians. The series will focus on delivering the latest news and revealing drug trends for youth and teenagers. As a provider of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services for youth, TTC is here to help.

Did you know how often teenagers talk about drugs on social media? To cover up the discussion, they turn regular emojis into drug emojis. Thus, each of the emojis below reflects a new kind of visual slang. Although these drug emojis might indicate that a young person or teenager is talking about drugs or buying them on social media, nothing is definitive. However, the goal is that knowledge of these drug emojis can open up a dialogue with your child.

Fifteen Drug Emojis Used On Twitter

• ❄, 💎, 🏔 – Crystal meth
• 🔑, ⛄, 🎱, 🥥, 🤧 – Cocaine
• 🐎, 🎯, 💉, 🐉 – Heroin
• 💊 – Prescription or other illicit drugs
• 🚀, ⛽ – Shorthand for being high or gassed

Once again, it is essential to underline that these emojis are not always about drugs. Instead, they have been hijacked to have these new meanings. Thus, it is necessary to place them in the proper context. When the context is understood, particularly in line with other evidence or suspicions, using these potential drug emojis is a red flag.

In addition, parents need to know that drug emojis tend to be used with people that teenagers already know. On social media, teens do not use these emojis with strangers. Instead, the people tend to be someone their friends suggested or a friend of a friend. Also, many drug dealers now have popular profiles on social media. These profiles are anonymous because they use pseudonyms.

Drug Emojis and the DEA

Also, what we have listed is only the beginning. Indeed, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has an entire downloadable guide to drug emojis on its website. In the list above, we chose the most popular drug emojis favored by teenagers. Below, here is a picture of the entire list by the DEA. As you can see, we have highlighted some emojis that were not included on the DEA list. After all, the landscape is constantly changing.