The Arkansas State Police sent out a news release this week.
Here's part of it:
In less than 24 hours, Arkansas State Police (ASP) Troopers seized over 300 pounds of illegal narcotics during two separate traffic stops.
On June 19, 2025, at approximately 1:45 a.m., Troopers stopped a 2025 Toyota Camry for a traffic violation on Interstate 30 eastbound near the 65-mile marker in Clark County. Upon searching the vehicle, Troopers discovered 13 boxes containing over 150 bottles of illegal Promethazine.
The question was asked on the Reckoning's Facebook page: What is illegal Promethazine?
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information:
"Promethazine is a medication used to manage and treat allergic conditions, nausea and vomiting, motion sickness, and sedation. Promethazine also has off-label uses for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Promethazine is a phenothiazine derivative with antidopaminergic, antihistamine, and anticholinergic properties."
Brand names include Phenergan and Promacot. It's only available by prescription.
Used illegally, promethazine known as "Purple Drank" on the streets, can have "a sedative and woozy or swooning euphoria." The name comes from its purple color.
A 2011 fact sheet from the Department of Justice noted, "To produce Purple Drank, abusers typically mix cough syrup that contains promethazine and codeine with carbonated lemon-lime soda and pieces of hard candy."
Other names for it include "Lean" because it makes the user literally lean. Both names are popular in the rap, hip hop and electronica music scenes.
So what makes it illegal?
A 2024 case in Michigan may contain answers.
A Michigan pharmacy owner was sentenced to three years in federal prison by a United States District Court Judge after the owner pled guilty plea to wire fraud and money laundering.
There's more.
The owner, obviously having a pharmacy license, used a pharmacy to "order more than $2.5 million dollars of pint-sized bottles of promethazine cough syrup from various wholesale distributors who operate outside the State of Michigan."
The pharmacist "then sold the promethazine cough syrup to drug dealers without a valid prescription from a licensed practitioner and he failed to disclose this to the wholesalers."
He "paid the wholesalers via wire transfers from funds derived from the unlawful dispensing of the promethazine."
That same release states:
Promethazine cough syrup can have tranquilizing and euphoric effects when consumed at higher-than-recommended dose, especially when mixed with alcohol or other drugs such as fentanyl. Promethazine cough syrup has been referred on the illegal street market as “Green Drink” or “Purple Drink.”
A 2004 release from the Drug Enforcement Agency tells the story of a 127-count indictment in Texas. Nine defendants were charged with conspiracy and money laundering "arising from the illegal distribution of the prescription drugs, hydrocodone and promethazine with codeine."
The release states: "It is alleged that from October 2002 though October 2003, the indicted individuals distributed 1.4 million tablets of hydrocodone and 2100 gallons of promethazine with codeine, a cough suppressant."
Apparently, distributing promethazine is something DEA battles frequently.
The DEA website has numerous cases about the drug on its website.
Like the DEA Arkansas law enforcement faces similar drug seizures.
Last December following a car chase Arkansas State Police (ASP) apprehended a suspect. They found "14 boxes of PolkaDot psychoactive mushrooms, 47 Ecstasy pills, two pounds of illegal marijuana, and three bottles of promethazine."
Just four months earlier, ASP conducted another bust when suspects were pulled over near Van Buren.
"Troopers discovered approximately 7,000 pills of Fentanyl, 18 pints of promethazine/codeine syrup and illegal marijuana," a release said.
ASP took the driver and the passenger into custody.
"The two individuals told investigators they were traveling from Riverside, Calif., to Memphis, Tenn.," the release said.
In February, just a few months ago, ASP released a statement about confiscated drugs in 2024.
"Once again, Arkansas State Police (ASP) saw a significant increase in illegal drug seizures during traffic stops compared to the previous year, due in large part to ASP’s Interstate Criminal Patrol (ICP), which specializes in drug interdiction," the release stated.
- Illegal marijuana seizures increased by approximately 50%, with more than 15,000 pounds confiscated in 2024, compared to just over 10,000 pounds in 2023.
- Cash seizures more than doubled, from $1.4 million in 2023 to $3.3 million in 2024.
- Methamphetamine seizures increased significantly from 56 pounds in 2023 to 509 pounds in 2024.
- ICP confiscated 44 weapons in 2024, up from 21 in 2023.
Cocaine seizures decreased from 353 pounds in 2023 to 254 pounds in 2024. Fentanyl seizures also decreased from 46 pounds to 6.9 pounds, comparing year-to-year data.
ASP's additional seizures last year included 201 bottles of Promethazine.
