CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some local drug prevention groups said they are seeing a new trend when it comes to teens and drugs.
"I'm seeing what's called dirty Sprite," said Begg, a student assistant specialist with Caron, a nonprofit drug and alcohol addiction treatment center.
In the past year she said more teens are talking about something called dirty Sprite, also known as "purple" and "drank."
"It's a combination of alcohol, a drug called Promethazine, which is an anti-nausea medicine, or codeine," said Begg.
She said it is also sometimes made with cough medicine and Jolly Ranchers or gummy bears for taste.
Begg said there is a danger from mixing drugs and that the anti-nausea medicine takes away the body's natural defense from alcohol poisoning.
"Unfortunately, a lot of them are just not aware of what it's doing to their body or what it can potentially can do," she said.
Anuvia Prevention and Recovery Center in Charlotte told Channel 9 it's hearing more about these mixtures as well.
Both groups said it's being sung about in rap songs and popular music and that parents need to talk to their kids about the dangers.