By: Kerri Procida

HISTORY Developed in 1926, and was first patented in 1952 by the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company and marketed under the brand name Sernyl. PCP is a “dissociative” anesthetic that was developed in the 1950s as a surgical 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 IS PCP 1-(1-phenylcyclohexyl)piperidine Is a recreational drug that was used as an anesthetic agent, exhibiting hallucinogenic effects. Schedule rating is a 1 Street names include: Angel Dust, Embalming Fluid, Killer Weed, Rocket Fuel, Supergrass, Wack, Ozone

WHAT IS PCP? (con’t) Its sedative and anesthetic effects are trance-like, and patients experience a feeling of being “out of body” and detached from their environment. Many believe PCP to be one of the most dangerous drugs of abuse

CHARACTERISTICS In its pure form, it is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water or alcohol and has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. It’s color can range from tan to brown, and the consistency to range from powder to a gummy mass. It is available in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders, which are either taken orally or snorted.

EFFECTS OF PCP A MODERATE amount of PCP often causes users to feel detached, distant, and estranged from their surroundings. Numbness of the extremities, slurred speech, and loss of coordination may be accompanied by a sense of strength and invulnerability. A blank stare and rapid and involuntary eye movements are among the more observable effects. Auditory hallucinations, image distortion, severe mood disorders, and amnesia may also occur. In some users, it may cause acute anxiety and a feeling of doom; in others, paranoia and violent hostility, and in some, it may produce a psychoses like schizophrenia. Physiological effects of it include a slight increase in breathing rate and a more pronounced rise in blood pressure and pulse rate. Respiration becomes shallow, and flushing and profuse sweating.

EFFECTS OF PCP At HIGH DOSES, there is a drop in blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration. This may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, flicking up and down of the eyes, drooling, loss of balance, and dizziness. High doses can also cause seizures, coma, and death (though death more often results from accidental injury or suicide during PCP intoxication). Psychological effects at high doses include illusions and hallucinations. Although the primary effects of the drug lasts for a few hours, the drug itself can stay in the body for about eight days or longer.

HEALTH HAZZARDS Is very addictive and it often leads to psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive behavior. Users of PCP report memory loss, difficulties with speech and learning, depression, and weight loss. Use of PCP among adolescents may interfere with hormones related to normal growth and development. Many PCP users are brought to emergency rooms because of its unpleasant psychological effects or because of overdoses. In a hospital or detention setting, they often become violent or suicidal, and are very dangerous to themselves and to others. They should be kept in a calm setting and should not be left alone.