Street Names of Cocaine

Cocaine is a widely used and illegal stimulant drug. Its illegal status has a range of consequences. One such consequence is the common use of slang terms to describe cocaine. Many people also use slang when referring to the form of the drug known as “crack.”

The street names of cocaine and crack come from a wide variety of sources. The list of such sources includes the effects of cocaine, as well as the drug’s appearance. They also include specific regional, cultural or language-based preferences. Knowledge of these street names has some important practical uses. In particular, it can help you determine if a loved one is using the drug and is at-risk for cocaine addiction.

Why Are There Street Names for Cocaine

Why do people use street names for cocaine? Perhaps the number one reason is the drug’s status as an illegal substance. People referring to cocaine have an obvious reason for using slang or jargon to describe it. Namely, they want to avoid the possibility of attracting the attention of law enforcement.

But there are also other motivations behind the street names of cocaine. One factor is the desire to “fit in” with a certain group of people. If that group prefers a particular slang term for the drug, using that term can make you seem like you belong. You may also simply grow up hearing and using some slang terms.

In addition, some users of cocaine want to hide their activity from people other than the police. This is often true for teenagers, who have a clear motivation to avoid attention from their parents. The same motivation may apply to adults in a range of situations.

Cocaine Street Names Based on Its Effects

Cocaine is a stimulant drug. This means that it speeds up the nerve activity in your brain and spinal cord. This increase in activity affects you in a number of ways, including:

Creating an intensely pleasurable state called euphoria
Making you feel mentally sharper
Heightening your energy levels
Boosting self-confidence
Speeding up your reflexes
Increasing your typical level of alertness

Some of the street names for cocaine are based on these brain and body effects. Examples of this type of slang term include:

Happy Dust
Bouncing Powder
Marching Dust
Bolivian Marching Powder
Andean Marching Powder
Big Rush
Happy Powder
Paradise
Love Affair
Glad Stuff
Joy Powder
Friskie Powder
Happy Trails

Cocaine Names Taken From the Word Cocaine

Some of the street names of cocaine are based on the drug’s own name. Specific terms based on this kind of wordplay include:

C
Coke
Big C
Coconut
Lady Caine
Cola
C-Game
Coca
Mama Cocaine

Cocaine Slang Terms Based on Geographical Origin

Throughout the U.S., people in different states or geographical regions often have favored slang terms for cocaine. For example, the term Coca is common in several states, including:

Texas
New York
Alabama
Wisconsin
Colorado
Utah
Hawaii

The term Flake is common in states such as:

California
Georgia
Oklahoma
Missouri
Illinois
Tennessee
North Carolina

The Spanish slang term Yeyo (or Yayo) is used in states such as:

Oregon
New Mexico
Nevada
Virginia
Maryland
New Hampshire
Vermont
Massachusetts

The term Sniff is sometimes used in states that include:

Florida
Minnesota
Michigan
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Connecticut

There are also geographical street names based on the country that served as the source of cocaine. In terms of the actual origin point of the drug, these names aren’t always accurate. Quite often, they merely serve as a kind of marketing gimmick. Examples of both accurate and inaccurate names of this type include:

Peruvian
Inca Message
Peruvian Flake
Percio
Burnese
Percia
Peruvian Lady
Percio Cocaine

Names of Cocaine Based on Appearance

Appearance is another possible basis for street names of cocaine. Some of these names apply to the appearance of the pure form of the drug, cocaine hydrochloride. This is a fine, powdered substance that typically looks white or whitish. Examples here include:

Snow White
Paradise White
Icing
Flake
White Powder
Pearl
Haven Dust
Blanca
White Mosquito
Sleigh Ride
Big Flack
Have a Dust

Other appearance-based street names apply to crack, which is made by chemically processing powdered cocaine. This processing creates a rock- or pebble-like substance. Examples here include:

Rock
Black Rock

The term crack is itself a form of street slang. It comes from the sound that the drug makes when it’s heated up and turned into a vapor.

Names of Cocaine Based on Cultural Influence

From the time it first gained widespread use in the 70s, cocaine has had an influence on American culture. That’s especially true in entertainment media such as film, television and music. More than two dozen street names of cocaine are based on the drug’s cultural influence. Examples of those names include:

Late Night
Dream
Society High
Studio Fuel
Stardust
Movie Star Drug
California Cornflakes
Gift-of-the-Sun
Star-Spangled Powder
All-American Drug

Cocaine Names Based on People and Characters

The names of real or fictional people and characters are sometimes used as coded references to cocaine. Jargon or slang names for cocaine that fall into this category include:

Corrinne or Corrine
Scottie
Henry VIII
Cecile
Batman
Aunt Nora
Merck or Merk
Billie Hoke
Angie
Serpico 21
Bernie’s Flakes
Jejo
Roxanne
Lady Snow
Carrie Nation
Her
Bernie
Schmeck

Spanish Names for Cocaine

Cocaine is made from plants that grow in South America. And in the U.S., users of the drug often live in regions where Spanish is widely spoken. Given these facts, it’s no surprise that some of the slang terms for cocaine come from Spanish. Examples of these terms include:

Mujer
Yeyo
Coca
Monos
Perico
Basa
Talco
Cabello
Polvo Blanco
Esnortiar
Blanca
Dama Blanca

Names Based on How Cocaine Is Used

Cocaine can be injected, nasally inhaled, rubbed on your gums or smoked in the form of crack. Some of the street names for the drug are based on methods of use. Examples of these kinds of slang terms include:

Blow
Nose Powder
Sniff
Nose Candy
Line
Nose Stuff
Toot
Sugar Boogers
Booger Sugar

There are also several slang terms for the act of nasally inhaling cocaine. Examples of these terms include:

Blowing coke
Doing a line

The act of smoking crack is sometimes known as:

Blowing blue
Freebasing
Blowing smoke

The term shebanging refers to the practice of spraying a mixture of cocaine and water into your nose.

Slang Terms for Crack Cocaine

While crack is itself a slang term, this form of cocaine also has other street names. In addition to Rock and Black Rock, those names include:

Base
Yam
Bopper
Purple Caps
Real Tops
Mighty White
Bumper

Slang for Cocaine That’s Combined With Other Substances

Cocaine is sometimes mixed with other types of drugs, including:

Heroin
Cannabis
Methamphetamine
Amphetamine
Nicotine (tobacco)
LSD
MDMA, or Ecstasy
PCP, or Angel Dust
Morphine

Slang terms exist for each mixture of cocaine and other substances. Terms used for the mixture of cocaine and heroin include:

Speedball
Boy-Girl
Goofball
Murder One
Belushi
H & C
Bombita
Snowball
Crisscrossing
Sandwich
He-She
Smoking Gun

Terms used for the mixture of cocaine and cannabis or tobacco include:

Bazooka
Geek Joints
Tio
Greek
Lace
Woolies
Crack bash
Dirties
Caviar
51
P-Dogs
Banano
Primos
Sherman Stick

Street names for the combination of cocaine and amphetamine or methamphetamine include:

Snow Seals
Shabu

Names for the combination of powdered or crack cocaine with PCP include:

Spaceball
Beam Me Up, Scottie
Whack

The combination of cocaine and MDMA is sometimes known as Bumping Up. The term C & M can be used to describe the mixture of cocaine and morphine.

Cocaine may also be combined with multiple substances. Specific multiple combinations and their street names include:

Cocaine, heroin and tobacco – Flamethrowers
Cocaine, MDMA and LSD – Candy Flipping on a String
Cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, alcohol and rohypnol – The Five Way
Cocaine, marijuana and PCP – Jim Jones or Squirrel
Cocaine, tobacco and heroin – Primo

Deceptive Cocaine Slang

Some of the street names of cocaine don’t come from a clear source. Instead, they’re used only for their ability to deceive others and hide the true topic of conversation. Examples that fall into this category include:

Boy
Duct
Jelly
Beam
Cholly
Yesco
Monster
Carnie
Teenager
Uptown

Other Types of Slang Terms

There are also other jargon or slang names for cocaine and cocaine use. For example, fake cocaine or crack goes by names such as:

Flex
Fleece
Bunk
Gaffel

To make impure cocaine look better, drug dealers make take steps to change its color. This act is known as chalking or beiging.

Learn More About the Street Names of Cocaine

Contact The Discovery House if you want to learn more about the many street names for cocaine. Our in-house specialists will help you determine if unfamiliar terms are being used to describe the drug. If you suspect the cocaine use is occurring, we can also help you sort out your next steps.

In addition, The Discovery House is a top regional source for cocaine addiction treatment. We’ll help your loved one through every phase of recovery, from diagnosis to follow-up care. Call us today to learn more about our full range of available services.

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