Even though the list of emojis isn’t an exhaustive one, it’s fascinating to see that the DEA pays attention to the way drugs are discussed, even digitally.
As a method of fighting back against overdose deaths, the DEA recently began the “One Pill Can Kill” campaign. The driving source of motivation behind the new campaign is to provide an opportunity for the media, parents, teachers, educators, and community organizations to raise awareness about counterfeit prescription drugs.
As part of the campaign, the DEA is helping to teach parents signs to watch for that can help them indicate when their children are discussing illegal drug use. If the point of the program is to teach the mentors of teens and young adults the coded language they use to discuss drugs, then it makes complete sense why emojis would be one of the program’s core focuses.
Here are some key takeaways about the DEA’s findings regarding the way emojis are used to discuss drugs amongst teens and young adults.
When Emojis Are Most Often Used For Depicting Drug Use
The fact that emojis are used to depict specific types of drugs and actions likely isn’t much of a surprise to most people. Still, it may come as a surprise to see just how many different types of activities related to drug use can be depicted solely using emojis.
For instance, according to a graphic shared by the DEA, emojis are used to depict all sorts of drugs from meth to marijuana. There are also emojis that depict the potency levels of drugs, like bombs or flames along with some that are shared just for the purpose of dealer advertising like plugs or stacks of cash.
