Lean (drug)
Lean or purple drank (known by numerous local and street names) is a polysubstance drink used as a recreational drug. It is prepared by mixing prescription-grade cough or cold syrup containing codeine (opioid drug) and promethazine (anti-histamine drug) with a soft drink and sugar candy. The beverage originated in Houston as early as the 1960s and is popular in hip hop culture, especially within the Southern United States.[1]
Type
1960s
Purple; may vary based on ingredients
Users of lean are at risk of addiction, and serious complications include respiratory depression, respiratory arrest, and cardiac arrest. Lean is especially dangerous when consumed with alcohol.
Names
The term lean refers to the fact that users may have difficulty standing up straight while under the influence of the drug.[2] "Purple drank" references its typically purple hue, as the cough syrups employed are often purple in color, and an African-American Vernacular English term for an alcoholic beverage or intoxicating drink. Other names include "sizzurp", "drank", "barre", "wock", "Texas tea", "mud", "dirty Sprite", and "tsikuni".[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In areas where lean had not yet been introduced, codeine-based cough syrup mixed with pills was called "juice and beans".[10]