It’s not an easy time for parents to raise kids. No need to get into all the reasons why but life can be a lot better and problems can be avoided if you, as a parent, are armed with information and communicate with your children. Especially about drugs. And the DEA is reminding parents about emojis used by drug dealers.
For instance, do you have any idea in drug lingo that a snowflake emoji can mean cocaine?
Yes, it does. And a brown heart combined with a dragon means heroin.
There’s more; a crystal ball or blue heart stands for meth. DEA investigators have compiled a list of those emojis and what to watch out for if you look at what your kids are doing on their phones.
The DEA said this list is “intended to give parents, caregivers, educators, and other influencers a better sense of how emojis are being used in conjunction with illegal drugs.”
The DEA says the emojis are used in texts, private messages, and social media videos. Being sneaky about drug communication is not new, but what is new is the ease of getting illicit drugs.
Here’s what Brock Vebell, the co-owner of a drug recovery center in Arizona told CBS 5 in Phoenix.
“We had codes. We never said out loud, ‘Hey, I want to buy some cocaine.’ That’s not how it’s done. Our kids are using the same methods, it’s just on social media. If you as a parent don’t understand that, you’re going to miss out.”
With overdose deaths surpassing 100,000 every year since 2021, this information is necessary.
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