Basic Facts About Drugs: Methamphetamine

BASIC FACTS ABOUT DRUGS:
PCP

What is PCP?

Originally developed as a synthetic drug 1959, Phencyclidine (PCP, or angel dust) is a dissociative anesthetic. In its pure form, PCP is a white, crystalline powder. A street drug since the 1960’s, it is now produced in clandestine labs and sometimes passed off as mescaline or as another hallucinogen with less extreme effects. In large quantities it smells like strong ammonia. While use of PCP died down after the 70's PCP is making a resurgence in parts of the Northeast parts of the country depite it's now know dangers. It is marketed under so many different names (wet, bobbies, dippies, dank, amp, hydro, purple haze, haze, and lillie just to name a few) that users aren't always aware that they are using it.

What does it look like and how is it taken?

Usually smoked, PCP can also be taken orally, snorted, or injected. It is sold in capsules, tablets, powder, and liquid. Most often the crystalline powder is sprinkled on a leafy substance—tobacco, parsley, mint, oregano, or marijuana—and then smoked in rolled cigarettes.

What are PCP's effects

The effects of PCP can be unpredictable and are often severe. Moderate doses (5 milligrams or less), generally produce initial feelings of relaxation and mild euphoria, but depression, anxiety, or disorientation can also result. Within the normal dosage range, users, feel powerful, "spaced out," or detached and may experience LSD-like visual distortions. Physical effects include: rising heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature; flushing and sweating; shallow breathing; numbness; and some loss of coordination.

At higher doses, respiration drops and users may experience nausea, vomiting, loss of balance, and dizziness. They often display dramatic mood swings and are prone to anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness. Violent behavior is not uncommon, and the drug’s ability to lower the pain threshold increases the likelihood of injury and self-mutilation.

Paranoid delusions and aggressive behavior are sometimes followed by PCP-induced psychosis that may mimic symptoms of schizophrenia. Psychotic episodes can last several days, and it may take as long as two weeks for patients to return to normal. At toxic levels, or when interacting with alcohol or other depressant drugs, PCP can prove fatal, causing convulsions, coma, and respiratory arrest. PCP can also exacerbate pre-existing mental disorders

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