hillbilly heroin

English

Etymology

From its initial popularity in rural regions in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

hillbilly heroin (uncountable)

  1. (US slang, derogatory) Oxycodone, Percocet, or similar opioid/opiate drugs, when used as recreational drugs. [from early 2000s]
    • 2005 August 15, Jenji Kohan, 17:44 from the start, in Weeds‎[1], season 1, episode 2, spoken by Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins):
      “There are no secrets in this town.” “Maybe a few.” “No. None. You're having money problems. Our children had sex. Judy Gordon orders OxyContin over the Internet and has developed quite the habit.” “"Jesus Loves You" Judy?” “"Jesus Loves You" Judy loves her hillbilly heroin. But you didn't hear that from me. I don't like gossip.”
    • [2012 August 23, Conor Friedersdorf, quoting Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco, “What OxyContin Addicts in West Virginia Tell Us About the War on Drugs”, in The Atlantic‎[2]:
      Drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in West Virginia, and the state leads the country in fatal drug overdoses. OxyContin—nicknamed “hillbilly heroin”—is king.]
    • [2017 September 6, Brian Alexander, “When a Company Is Making Money From the Opioid Crisis”, in The Atlantic‎[3]:
      In a year of big stories, the opioid crisis has become one of the biggest, though it’s been a problem since the early 2000s. Around then, people in Kentucky, West Virginia, and southeast Ohio started referring to Percocet, OxyContin, and Vicodin as “hillbilly heroin.”]
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