Blog Post #4: Codeine Cough Syrup: Medicine, Hip Hop, and Slimy Commercial Interests

Although recent trends in the hip hop community have made efforts at pushing back, addiction to cough syrup (or rather, its active ingredient, codeine) has taken the lives of a handful of artists in recent years. This should come as no surprise, as, in general, codeine is the most widely used opiate in the world (Waismann Method), and is an active ingredient in almost all prescription cough syrups (Narconon). Additionally, within the rap community specifically, it seems that a constant stream of popular songs (e.g., Codeine Crazy by Future, Mix It by Juicy J, Syrup Sippin’ Assassin by Riff Raff) find artistic inspiration (or, just as likely, increased potential revenue) in keeping with the cough syrup trend, perpetuating the detrimental and widespread recreational use of codeine within the culture.

Historically, codeine (like other drugs we now think of as dangerous, like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine) was first thought of as innocuous, and was commonly utilized in the treatment of chronic pain and cough suppression in children, and as a method of treatment for diabetes in the 1880s until the mid-twentieth century (Fraser). Within the hip hop community, the recreational use of codeine cough syrup was popularized in Houston by producer DJ Screw in the 1990s – after which, it spread to communities in other southern states, and eventually mainstream rap culture (Leinwand).

Today, its use as a recreational drug is further perpetuated by legal commercial products that utilize calming herbal ingredients as substitutes for codeine; and the names of these products – “Drank” (Yahoo), “Purple Stuff”, “Lean”, and “Sippin Syrup” (all popular colloquial names for, or references to, the mixture of codeine cough syrup and Sprite) (Watkins) – represent these products’ intentional marketing towards would-be codeine cough syrup users. Dr. Rob J. Peters, associate professor of behavioral sciences at the University of Texas, has criticized these commercial products’ marketing tactics, and compared it to the selling of candy cigarettes by tobacco industries in the 20^th century (Bernier).

In short, the recreational use of codeine cough syrup was spurred by the medical community’s treatment of it as a harmless drug, and perpetuated by its inescapable presence in corners of hip hop culture – as well as unethical commercial products that seek to imitate the drug. Furthermore, the Drug Enforcement Administration has legitimated codeine as a cause for addiction by repositioning it from the Schedule V to the Schedule III category (American Addiction Centers), indicating, in part, its newly recognized potential for dependence (Drug Enforcement Administration). DJ Lil Randy, one of the first artists to popularize recreational use of cough syrup in Houston, has described the societal evolution of the drug as having “went from a fad to a population to a community,” (Bella). And unfortunately, only time will tell whether the seemingly countless murals and lyrical dedications recognizing artists who’ve fallen to cough syrup addiction will succeed in combatting its popularity, and culturally devaluing it as a form of popular recreation.

Works Cited

American Addiction Centers. “Cough Syrup with Codeine Abuse, Also Known as Lean
       and Purple Drank.” American Addiction Centers, American Addiction Centers,
       americanaddictioncenters.org/codeine-addiction/cough-syrup/.

Bella, Timothy. “Hip-Hop's Unlikeliest Icons: Promethazine Codeine Syrup
       Manufacturers.”Bloomberg Businessweek, Bloomberg L.P., 9 Mar. 2017,
       www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-03-09/hip-hop-s-unlikeliest-icons-
       promethazine-codeine-syrup-manufacturers.

Bernier, Nathan. “Public Health Expert Worried About ‘Purple Stuff’ Drink Expanding
       Distribution.” KUT, The University of Texas at Austin Moody College of
       Communication, 3 Jan. 2011, kut.org/post/public-health-expert-worried-about-
       purple-stuff-drink-expanding-distribution.

Drug Enforcement Administration. “Drug Schedules.” United States Drug Enforcement
       Administration, United States Department of Justice,
       www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml.

Fraser, Thomas R. “The Relative Value of Opium, Morphine, and Codeine in Diabetes
       Mellitus.” The British Medical Journal, 19 Jan. 1889, pp. 118–119. BMJ,
       doi:10.1136/bmj.

Leinwand, Donna. “DEA Warns of Soft Drink-Cough Syrup Mix.” USA Today, USA
       Today, 18 Oct. 2006, usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-18-
       lean_x.htm.

Narconon. “History of Codeine.” Narconon, Narconon International,
       www.narconon.org/drug-information/codeine-history.html.

Waismann Method. “Codeine General Information.” Waismann Method®, Anesthesia
       Assisted Medical Opiate Detoxification, Inc., 2 Jan. 2018,
       www.opiates.com/codeine/.

Watkins, Boyce. “Company Makes Money from Deadly Urban Trend: ‘Sipping
       Syrup.’” HuffPost Black Voices, Oath Inc., 29 Sept. 2009, archive.is/KVkz5.
Yahoo. “'Slow Your Roll' With DRANK From Innovating Beverage Group -- the

       World's First Extreme Lifestyle Relaxation Beverage.” Yahoo Finance, Yahoo! Inc.,
       10 June 2008,
       web.archive.org/web/20081202151813/http://biz.yahoo.com/pz/080610/
       144371.html.