I recently heard about Lean.
TJ, you say this has been popular for more than a decade. With young people? If it is not a combination of alcohol, couph syrup, cough medicine and candy, what is it exactly? If you have correct information, please share it.

"But, Peters says, the music is a way to make parents and the community aware of what is happening. He instructs parents to "always listen to some of the music some of our kids listen to," he says. "Whether they like or not, it can give them insight into what's happening in their kids' lives and open up dialogue.""

If only the parents had listened to Sir Mix-a-Lot's 'Baby Got Back' and opened up a dialogue...

Yeah it's been popular for years, but all the sudden the name is being used in rap music which is enjoyed by people of all ages. What if a bunch of kids started to experiment with it and all died? What would you have to say then, the coverage of the kids overdosing is stupid? I'd think not.

Many parents don't know the lingo or don't listen to what their children's music preferences are. You can tell them you don't want them to listen to it, but it wont stop their friend or the child from downloading the objectional music on the Internet.

If you want to know about it, look it up on urban dictionary. The official mixture is sprite, jolly ranchers and promethazine with codeine (purple formulation). That's for "sipping purple." Promethazine without codeine (yellow formulation) is known as "sipping yellow."

Not sure how Screw OD'd, but it would be very easy if you mix alcohol, as the liver will remove the alcohol from your system first, leaving toxic levels of codeine if you're not careful.

This might sound counter-intuitive, but it would be much healthier for those who choose to enjoy this stuff to smoke marijuana in combination. "Sipping purple stuff, blowing purple stuff..."
Marijuana is not instantly removed by the liver (because it's not toxic like alcohol, you can't OD on THC) so the liver can work on the important stuff like codeine.

As far as I can tell, this article is describing a drug addiction that was the reason for codine to be controlled to begin with. People would buy bottles of "Cough Syrup" with codine and get high. That was in the 60's. How is this different? Same old thing. Codine is a controlled substance. Need a perscription. Maybe it was just a slow news day and they needed someting for the column. Coming next week, TV Evangalists collecting money on TV...

NEWS FLASH IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT MUSIC/CLOTHES/WEBSITES/PEOPLE YOUR CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED WITH YOU AREN'T A MOM/DAD YOUR A CARETAKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LEAVE THE KEYS ON YOUR WAY OUT

Ah.... Joy Juice!
I am an old man now of 38, and I remember this nasty stuff from the early 1980's we would mix Vodka, Robitussin (i think it was the purple kind) and sweet tarts.... disgusting- and as I remember-- it lasted only about 15 mnts...

Isn't it funny how everything old becomes NEW again during a slow news week?

THanks for the info BRian! I have a 10 year old who is listening to this type of hip hop and I was questioning whether they were referring to drugs. Terms like "juice" "purple lean" and others.
Now, I know.

Sadly, a friend just lost their 17 year old daughter, last month, to a Robitussin overdose - she drank 3 bottles to get high and "Lean" - it is dangerous stuff - kids just don't think - they believe they are invincible.

TJ's comments made me laugh, I read the story just like many would, and then, TJ's comment jolted me out of my older-person stupid frame of reference. Yes, kids get high. If not this, it may be glue sniffing, or even spinning in circles until so dizzy they fall down. The desire to change consciousness is universal. The ability to call it as it really is - THAT is cool. Go TJ!

Heads up! I didn't know this existed. We need to try to stay informed, so we won't be blinded-sighted.

For once can we just admitt that teens with do what they do and no matter how much people want to blame hiphop its really just teenagers playing screwing around trying to get the next big thing. I hate that the media always says its the music. I hate how they have to make these so called connections saying screw music influeneced the coming of the drug eh. Let's be serious kids are crafty they don't need music to help them come up with some drug.

I drank syrup daily back in the late 60's. It was easier to get than pot or acid (my other faves). Hugely dangerous; different, but similar to being drunk. Bad on the liver. Friend of ours died from OD. It's been around.

Rap music gets criticized by today's parents as Rock N Roll was criticized by theirs. Back then, there were acid, cocaine, and pot references in the popular hits. Although I am not a rap fan, I regret that people are being accused of suggesting that music does infuluence the behavior of youth today. It is quite unfortunate that these kids are not being parented. I suppose it is easier to blame "rap music" than accept that parents are simply not doing their job. Too many parents are worried about being a "friend" to their children, when they really need to just be parents.

"Lean," "syrup," "purple stuff," whatever you want to call it, is not anything new. As a matter of fact, doctors have been prescribing this "drug" for years. It is not mixed with alcohol or any other drug. If you mix with Sprite that's all you need. What ticks me off is that until white kids are affected then nothing is done about the "new" drug. Then the facts about what is really going on is so twisted up that it ends up completely over dramatized in the media. If you are going to report things, report the truth. By the way, DJ Screw did not begin screw music because of "lean," he began screw because that was his thing. He felt the music better slowed down. You don't have to be on drugs to listen to screw.

I think the Lean dealers and Screw Rappers are behind this story. They obviously want to increase their profits both from Lean and record sales.

"A year and a half to two years ago the price for a pint of codeine promethazene cough syrup was about $20 and was called a deuce, and for 16 oz, which was called a PT cruiser, would go for about $120 to $125," says Peters.

Is a pint no longer 16 ounces? I'm confused.

Nothing new here... We used to call it "Robing." I tried a couple of times but thought that it was utterly disgusting - blah/yuck!

As for the music tie-in, actions influence music, not the other way around. Somebody didn't start rapping about doing a drive-by and then drive-bys suddenly started happening. Drive-bys were a fact of life and then some people started rapping about them.

This is basically the same thing as trippin on DXM. Popping pills that had dextromethorphan in them. Its nothing new. Its old news. Its a rush but it leaves you pretty much blind the next day. TJ was right this coverage sucks.

Im from houston texas so of course ive tried lean. it is very popular. but you should do research, its very hard to Overdose on lean. you have to sip an entire cup of it and not many people can make it that far...also it was never proven that d.j. screw OD'd on lean its just a theory

codeine is otc in 7 states and most other countries american antidrtug paranoia iz absurd and biased coffee iz addictive 2 lean is hjarmless and kids should drink it

They call it a "deuce" to describe a 2 OZ. bottle. Not a pint. A Pint is 16 OZ. And no, DXM (robitussin) is not even close to the same thing. DXM is a dissociative, not codeine(pain releiver) Most of these people, including the writers of this article are retarted and don't know what they are talking about. It's funny. And there is no alcohol mixed with it. Just codeine syrup and soda.

yeah i agree with what the person right before me said. lean you gotta get with a prescription, robitussin you buy over the counter, and is totally different. and yes a pint is 16 oz. not robitussin, its promethazine w codeine. They got liquid hydrocodone too.

Kay, first of all for all you people saying that it's Robitussin and Vodka or DMX, you're wrong. Real lean is cough syrup with codine and promethazyne mixed into some fruity soda drink(Big Red, Sprite, Fanta, Sunkist etc.) and a jolly rancher(grape). Also Screw ODed off of Amphetamines, though most people say he never took 'em.

a "duece" of lean is simply 2 ounces of promethazine with codeine couch syrup either by itself or poured in a fruity soda of choice.a pint of lean is sometimes called a PT or a PT CRUISER in the street and its funny that whoever wrote this article would know something like that.Dj Screw was a lean user but it is not proven to be the cause of his death. Elvis Presly died from prescription drug use and promethazine with codiene was one of the drugs used. so please dont blame our culture (rap/hiphop/screw music) blame elvis and rock n roll.

Purple lean is simply codeine and promethazine, Yellow or Orange lean is the most sought after by heavy users because it is an oral suspension of hydrocone which is significantly stronger than codeine, tussionex is yellow poly tussin is orange, both are usually mixed with sprite and drinken out of a styrafoam cup because the syrup doesnt stick to the side, some hard core sippers will drink yellow or orange right out of the bottle, so lean isnt over the counter mixed with alchohol, it is either codeine or hydrocone which are both narcotic opiates as in from the poppy plant same as morpine or heroin

I love the pic of the 1987 headbangers in an alley to show lean users!!!

leans messed up

People are dying or going to die soon if they keep this up. May the lord have mercy on your soul.

i think the media is exagerating way to big on this...i know alot of people in the streets and none of them are mainly dealing lean...you should be worried about more serious and popular drugs like laced marijuana or cocaine...

ppl r dumb who would have fun drinking this crap y'all betta realize b4 its too late