YOUR BRAIN ON LEAN

OPIOID COUGH SYRUPS are “sort of a farce that the pharmaceutical world put together over a century ago,” says Matthew Hearing, assistant professor of biomedical sciences at Marquette University. There’s little evidence that the opiates included, such as codeine, have anti-cough effects – most of the suppression is believed to come from the syrups’ antihistamines. What codeine can be used for is recreation, leading to its popularity as the key ingredient in lean.

What happens to someone’s brain when he or she drinks lean? Matthew Hearing: The initial euphoria, especially during the first few uses, is primarily due to increased dopamine levels throughout the brain. In the course of a day, if they’re drinking it in soda or something, you’re going to have a gradual dissociative effect where [it feels like] your mind is separated from your body.

What are the short-term risks? With extended use, you can have dangerously low respiration. [Lean] can lead to seizures in some cases and can produce a substantial

amount of sedation, which can be a problem with kids if they’re out operating a motor vehicle.

At what point does lean become addictive? Outside of some molecular differences, codeine isn’t that different from more dangerous opiates such as heroin. It’s still addictive,

How hard is it to overdose? If [adolescents] do lean throughout the day, it can be very dangerous. If someone has a pulmonary condition, or an allergy to one of the compounds, it could be lethal.