From the red and yellow pill to a broccoli leaf and a power point plug: The hidden drug meanings behind some of our most commonly sent emojis
- Hidden drug meanings behind emojis were revealed on Kyle and Jackie O show
- The meanings were first shared by a mother who lost her son to a drug overdose
- Broccoli emoji is used as code for marijuana while snowflake is used for cocaine
By Eliza Mcphee For Daily Mail Australia
While emojis are one of the easiest forms of communicating in a text format some youths are using the popular characters as codewords for various drugs.
KIIS FM radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O discussed the countless emojis being used amongst the younger generation on Thursday morning with the show’s producer Tom revealing which ones had more sinister meanings behind them.
Tom said teenagers would often send texts to each other in just emojis so their parents wouldn’t catch on to what they were actually talking about.
The secret meanings were first shared by American relationship expert, Dr Laura Berman who tragically lost her 16-year-old son to a drug overdose in February this year.
Among the drugs being discussed over text in code is marijuana which is symbolised by anything green such as a leaf, broccoli or a Christmas tree.
Emojis have become the new way of communicating among teenagers and youths but some are using the popular characters as codewords for various drugs (stock image)
The drug cocaine is talked about through an emoji of a snowflake or a man skiing as the substance can often be referred to as ‘snow’ or ‘powder’.
Meanwhile, the emoji with the face of someone drooling represents ecstasy and the red and yellow pill is used as a codeword for heroin.
‘This is what the kids are doing,’ Tom said to hosts Kyle and Jackie O.
‘The new thing is to send whole sentences in just emojis.’
The codes can also vary in different suburbs with the radio producer admitting due to Double Bay, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, being of a more affluent demographic some emojis had double meanings.
Younger generations are using emojis as codewords for drugs with the character of a man skiing representing cocaine and an electrical plug symbolising a drug dealer
While a syringe could mean heroin for some, it could also mean botox for those living in the suburb, the radio hosts joked.
Other emojis being used in code include an electrical plug which means a drug dealer.
A diamond or an 8-ball billiard ball represents methamphetamines and red grapes symbolise cough syrup.
‘If you did a tree with a petrol tank emoji for example that means very high quality marijuana,’ Tom said.
HIDDEN DRUG MEANINGS BEHIND EMOJIS
Green emoji such as a leaf, Christmas tree or broccoli – marijuana
Diamond or 8-ball – methamphetamines/ice
Face with a mouth drooling – ecstasy
Man skiing/snowflake – cocaine
Pill – heroin
Electrical plug – drug dealer
Red grapes – cough syrup
Mushroom – magic mushrooms
Petrol tank – used to show a drug is of a high quality
A diamond can also represent methamphetamines and broccoli can be used as code for marijuana
In the wake of her son’s death Dr Berman has been using her platform to raise awareness for teen drug use by sharing guides to help parents decipher their kids’ coded messages.
She earlier posted a compilation of drug-related slang words kids use to talk about everything from cocaine to methamphetamines.
According to the list, ‘school bus’ stands for a two-milligram Xanax bar while ‘dabbing’ is a term used to describe the inhalation of vaporized cannabis oil.
‘Every generation has its slang for drugs and as an ever-evolving language, it can be difficult for parents to keep up, she wrote. ‘When I was coming of age, grass meant Marijuana. Mary-jane. But, the term “weed” only came to prominence from the mid-1990s onward.’
Dr Berman credited the parental-control app Bark for coming up with the list, saying the company ‘does an amazing job trying to keep up with current slang and emojis over on their blog for the modern-day drugs and their various monikers.’
The secret meanings were first shared by American relationship expert, Dr Laura Berman who tragically lost her own teenage son to a drug overdose in February this year .
