Snuff spoon
A snuff spoon is a tiny spoon used to sniff powdered substances through the nose. Historically, these spoons were used for different drugs: psychotropic snuffs in pre-Columbian America, tobacco in the 18th century, and cocaine in the 20th century (hence the terms cocaine spoon or coke spoon). In some US laws, very small spoons can be seen as drug paraphernalia because they seem unsuitable for normal use, and they may look like toys. The small size also helps date the cases they come in, since designs followed larger spoons.
Snaffling tools have been found at Chavín de Huántar in Peru, likely used for hallucinogenic snuffs from Anadenanthera colubrina more than 2000 years ago, and in South Africa, where a tiny spoon-and-comb combo was once mistaken for an ear pick or head-scratcher.
In England, snuff became popular by the end of the 17th century. People used the spoon to scoop snuff from a vial onto the back of the other hand and sniffed from there. A small vial with a spoon acting as a stopper helped create the snuff-box. By the end of the 19th century snuff spoons fell out of use.
In the US, McDonald’s uses straight stir sticks for coffee, while many other places use small plastic stirring spoons. According to Graybosch, this is rumored to be the case because the spoons can be used to snort cocaine.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:41 (CET).