Dabs have been around for over a decade. Doublecup is a more recent term applied to an “activity” associated with “lean” or “purple drank” which has been popular for over a decade. Professionals in health care, family and friends, as well as the general public must know about these popular terms and the culture surrounding them. Why? Because these activities and cultures that surround them pervade and influence people and their health and mental health in ways that can deepen understanding and connections with one another.
Dab (or dabb) is not to be confused with the “dance move or gesture in which a person drops his or her head into the bent crook of a slanted, upwardly angled arm, while raising the opposite arm out straight in a parallel direction“. Instead, it’s a form of cannabis with super high potency THC, the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis. Using cannabis in the form of dabs is not inherently bad, however, it may represent a different culture or mindset of drug use than simply “smoking a bowl”, “a one hitter” or the image of Bob Marley (or anyone) and a Spliff!
Doublecup is a term that is described in a recent Vice magazine video: “Why Lean Became Rap’s Most Wanted Drug”. It’s definitely worth watching. Listen to the lyrics of some of the most popular Rap and HipHop songs out there today. Just one example of a lyric by the recently deceased 21yo wildly successful HipHop/Rap artist Juice WRLD – “I problem solve with styrofoam” – gives a glimpse into this world of coping with information overload and hyper-speed everything. “Lean” or “Purple Drank” (and ‘sizzurp’ among other names) refers to “a combination of prescription-strength cough medicine, soft drinks, and hard, fruit-flavored candy“ according to drugabuse.com. Drugs like dextromethorphan (cough suppressant), codeine (an opioid), and promethazine (antihistamine) are often found in the crazy concoction. A good review is found here from the healthline medical team. To bring this all home, do a google search for dabs, promethazine, purple drank or lean, etc.. and you’ll see all kinds of pop culture pop up all over social media. Here is a sample:
https://genius.com/Jgrxxn-weed-pills-and-promethazine-lyrics
YNW Melly “Got Molly mixed with Promethazine”
Health, Mental Health, Addiction 