hola munchkins!

anyone know with any certainty how this phrase got started?  I heard
it on last night's CSI episode in reference to a meth user.  I found just this
one reference on Google: 
http://www.smokedot.org/comments/2002/12/20/163454/32/28

is it a goof on the DEA's acronym FOT (field observation training) or
is named after Tina Turner's frenzied rendition of "Proud Mary?"

speculation welcome but not as an answer.

much love,
granny

---

Clarification of Question by badabing-ga on 13 May 2003 10:39 PDT

p.s.  I'd really like something authoritative on this, if possible. 
no blogs or message boards please.  maybe a law enforcement site?  I'd
like to know if they use the acronym "FOT" or always the phrase
"friend of Tina" with Tina being the slang term for meth.  speculating
if it came around the time of "FOB" (friend of Bill's) or long before
that.

Howdy, Granny!

According to The Vaults of Erowid (which I have found to be an
excellent online source of information about recreational drugs), the
drug-related usage of "Tina" comes from "Christina," which is
apparently wordplay on "crystal," as in "crystal meth." The Office of
National Drug Control Policy concurs, adding that the term sometimes
refers to methamphetamine in combination with Viagra:

=====================================================================

Chris:  Methamphetamine The "Chris" series of nicknames comes from
"Christina", derived from "crystal".

Tina:  Methamphetamine, "Tina" derived from "Christina", from
"crystal".

The Vaults of Erowid: Drug Slang
http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/slang/slang10.shtml

=====================================================================

Christina: Amphetamine

Tina: Methamphetamine; crystal methamphetamine; methamphetamine used
with Viagra

Office of National Drug Control Policy
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/ByType.asp?intTypeID=24

=====================================================================

Finally, we bring you a terribly au courant pharmaceutical diva
update: Woozy insiders tell me that the current reigning trilogy of
club drugs consists of "tina, eena, and gina" -- i.e., crystal meth,
Ecstasy, and GBH.

Village Voice
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0303/musto.php

=====================================================================

Here are three references that suggest that the slang term "Tina" had
its origins in the gay community:

Some know it as crystal. Others refer to it as Tina, a campy
abbreviation of its other name, Christina. But among the habitués of
New York's frenetic gay club scene, the extraordinarily powerful
stimulant commonly known as crystal meth is earning a new nickname:
the Evil One.

Le National
http://www.le-national.com/Worldnat/tina022002.html

In speaking, some people say crystal meth, crystal or even, as we
named our icon, Crissy. It's also known as Tina, which my gay sources
say is a camp reference to ChrisTINA Crawford, daughter of Joan and
author of "Mommy Dearest." That one's still somewhat debateable, I
think!

Tweaker
http://www.tweaker.org/tweaker_arc/qa3.html

Meth is speed which can keep you dancing for hours, feeling energetic,
powerful, and sexual all at the same time. But meth is not just a drug
used at these venues. Studies indicate use is as common in people's
homes, at the homes of friends, at sex parties, bars, and bathhouses.
And users of crystal tend to associate with other users thus creating
an "underground network." "Where's Tina?" or "where did Tina go?" can
be commonly heard among users at a club who are in search of the
substance.

The Body: An AIDS and HIV Information Resource
http://www.thebody.com/bp/sept02/meth.html

=====================================================================

I have not been able to find "FOT" as a common usage. If we accept
"Tina" as having originated in gay clubs, I think we can postulate
that "friend of Tina" is a similar construction to "friend of
Dorothy," a venerable item of gay slang which predates the Clinton-era
"Friend of Bill":

"Friend of Dorothy" - This was a code phrase used to identify other
gay and lesbian people in the mid-twentieth century, as in "Are you a
friend of Dorothy?" The phrase refers to Judy Garland's character
Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Both Garland, and the movie were popular
in gay culture.

MatrixWerx
http://members.aol.com/matrixwerx/glbthistory/symbols.htm

People no longer need to be secretive about being gay... You don't
have to introduce yourself as a "Friend of Dorothy" to come out to
someone.

Rainbow Arch
http://rainbowarch.com/columnists/tonybossaller/roomatthetop.html

friend of Dorothy: 
noun. A euphemism for a homosexual. for gay icon Judy Garland, in the
film The Wizard of Oz.
During the 1950s and 1960s drag queen, the Judy Garland imitator, with
the singing of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".   Judy Garland was the
most beloved icon of the gay culture of the time. It was uncannily
symbolic that the Friday night of June 17, 1969 was the birth of the
Gay and Lesbian leberation movement, with  the Stonewall riots began,
was also the day of the funeral of  Judy Garland.

Wizard's Gay Slang Dictionary
http://www.hurricane.net/~wizard/19f.html

In the early days of Gay-dom they used several clandestine clues to
tell others that you were one of them. One of the best known was, "Are
you a friend of Dorothy?" Well, this younger group really doesn't have
a close association to Judy Garland. But there are other pop divas to
consider. We decided on something that made us all smile. If you would
like to become a part of this new group you can email us at
FOBSeattle@hotmail.com. FOB? Friends Of Britney. I know, not everyone
loves Britney - but it is recognizable. Don't be afraid. To quote
Glinda the Good Witch, "Come out, come out where ever you are."

Seattle Gay news Online
http://www.sgn.org/2002/02/15/yo.htm

Here's an excerpt from an online gay personal ad:

What I'm NOT looking for: a guy who's chem friendly; iso 420; friend
of Tina; or think that E, T or X are more than letters of the
alphabet. If none of this makes sense to you then just ask, please.

(Sorry, cannot link to this one, since the site has nude photos.)

=====================================================================

Search terms used:

"tina" + "meth"
"tina" + "methamphetamine"
"tina" + "amphetamine"
"tina" + "crystal"
"tina" + "crank"
"friend of tina"
"fot"
"friend of dorothy"

=====================================================================

Thanks for asking another fascinating question. Hope this gets you "up
to speed" (sorry, but I am one who cannot resist a bad pun!)

Best,
Pink

you've outdone yourself, Pinkie!  very interesting reading and I'm
ahead of the game now knowing what eena and gina are.  I was hoping
for more sources like the whitehousedrug policy but maybe they don't
care how the label originated but only the various names and
combinations of meth.  your extrapolation from the gay drug culture
seems entirely reasonable.  I must've had a mind meld on a wizard of
oz connection when I addressed the question to the munchkins.  thanks
for all your hard work and for everyone's juicy comments.  denco,
granny loved reading your alternate view of TINA.

Wow Pink!!  Amazing answer!! I wondered about that reference myself,
having heard it elsewhere.

Am watching CSI tonight (not sure how far behind in episodes we are
here in the UK) and found this extra bit of trivia when looking up one
of the various episode guides:

"William Petersen, star and co-executive producer of the highly rated
and critically acclaimed CBS drama, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,”
will appear at Pathology Today®: The ASCP Annual Meeting in New
Orleans, La., this September to accept the ASCP Special Recognition
Award."

http://www.pathologytoday.org/events/csi.asp

Pretty telling sign of how much television influences culture when the
American Society of Clinical Pathology is granting special recognition
to an actor who portrays a forensic investigator.  Talk about viewer
ratings! :)

See also: 

http://judiciary.senate.gov/oldsite/te051501wp.htm

where William Peterson testified before the US Senate Judiciary
Committee re: funding of crime labs, case backlogs, etc.

:) jem

Howdy Granny!

A side trip (which has nothing to do with the FOT) for you
in the world of TINA.

Welcome to SOLIDARITY, a revolutionary, socialist, 
democratic, feminist, anti-racist organization.
http://solidarity.igc.org/atc/82Farber.html

"The discussion of France focuses on the 1995 winter of
discontent, the strikes and mass demonstrations against
the attacks on the social services that showed the reality
and potential for a fight back in Western Europe.  Singer saw
the French events as an ideological turning point, the first
revolt against the notion that "there is no alternative" to
the market, also known as TINA."

The Capital Ownership Group VIRTUAL THINK TANK
http://cog.kent.edu/CogStrategyConf6-8May2001/TINA.htm

"The political apparatus at national and intergovernmental
levels reiterates the same message: ‘There Is No Alternative’
– what has come to be known as the ‘T-I-N-A’ response."


Search Strategy:

Google search on keywords: TINA political organization
://www.google.com/search?q=TINA+political+organization

Looking Forward, denco-ga

Also, from last night's episode as aired in the UK, a new acronym -
"DUNS": Dead Upstairs Neighbour Syndrome....very good makeup effects
for that particular scene.....

Quite a few acronyms used in last night's episode but as it revolved
around Lady Heather's House of Pain, perhaps not suitable for daytime
reading! :)

:) jem-ga

so sorry, jem.  granny meant CSI: Miami.  do you get that too?  those
two shows are always full of strange acronyms.  I'm savoring reading
all these links you guys supplied until this weekend.  all of them
look so interesting.  thanks all!

Hiya granny!  Yes, we do get CSI: Miami as well although I marginally
prefer CSI as I think the scripting is much tighter.  What I do like
about CSI Miami though is that they always have a parallel case
running which turns out to be death by accidental causes of the most
freakish kind.  For example, there was one episode where some chap got
toasted from the inside out - turns out he was siphoning gas via the
old "suck gas into the hose" method, hence loads of gas vapours
lurking in his oesophagus and stomach, pressed the button to answer
his mobile phone, static electricity charge and, well, KABOOM!

Have fun with your weekend reading :)

:) jem-ga

howdy jem, 

I agree with you, the original is better.  not a big David Caruso fan
but I like Khandi Alexander and the loving care she takes with the
bodies.  I do remember that interesting episode but granny's usually
working and can't really follow much of a plot line.  usually only a
new phrase or piece of music is the only thing that registers.  and
here's to Grissom's surgery going well.  granny was hoping for a pan
down to a butt shot in his hospital gown.  {sigh} oh well.

Wow, thanks for the five stars and the tip!

~pinkfreud, FOG (Friend of Granny)