PCP



What are the street names/slang terms for it?
Angel Dust, Dust, Embalming Fluid, Killer Weed, Rocket Fuel, Supergrass

What is it?
PCP, or phencyclidine was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. Use of PCP in humans was discontinued in 1965, because it was found that patients often became agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from its anesthetic effects.

What does it look like?
In its pure form, it is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water. However, most PCP on the illicit market contains a number of contaminates as a result of makeshift manufacturing, causing the color to range from tan to brown, and the consistency from powder to a gummy mass. Although sold in tablets and capsules as well as in powder and liquid form, it is commonly applied to a leafy material, such as parsley, mint, oregano or marijuana, and smoked.

How is it used?
PCP turns up on the illicit drug market in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders. It is normally used in one of three ways--snorted, smoked, or eaten. When it is smoked, PCP is often applied to a leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, tobacco or marijuana. Many people who use PCP may do it unknowingly because PCP is often used as an additive and can be found in marijuana, LSD, or methamphetamine.

The hype:
"I felt like I was plugged into an electrical outlet," "I felt numb - totally out of touch with my body" and "You think you have superhuman strength."

The reality:
"I was mumbling, drooling, falling down and vomiting," "I was staring at a spot on the wall with my mouth hanging open for hours," "I was punching holes in the doors and tried to rip a toilet from the ground. Then I attacked one of my friends - we nearly killed each other" and "I couldn't see things clearly. My eyes felt lopsided on my face; one on my forehead, the other near my mouth. I tried to eat popcorn and felt my teeth crumble away. I couldn't even remember how to swallow."

What can happen while you're high?
PCP is addicting; that is, its use often leads to psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior. It was first introduced as a street drug in the 1960s and quickly gained a reputation as a drug that could cause bad reactions and was not worth the risk. Many people, after using the drug once, will not knowingly use it again. Yet others use it consistently and regularly. Some persist in using PCP because of its addicting properties. Others cite feelings of strength, power, invulnerability and a numbing effect on the mind as reasons for their continued PCP use.

What can happen long term?
People who use PCP for long periods of time report memory loss, speech difficulties, depression, and weight loss. When given psychomotor tests, PCP users tend to have lost their fine motor skills and short-term memory. Mood disorders have also been reported.

Source:
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)