PCP stands for phencylidine, a crystalline synthetic drug. At one time, it was used as an anesthetic but the severe side effects caused it to fall out of use. In addition to deadening pain, there’s a long list of signs of use, most of which can be unpleasant and some that can be downright dangerous. Powdered PCP can be snorted or mixed with marijuana or another green herb and smoked. Some people dissolve PCP or get it in liquid form and dip a marijuana cigarette in the solution. The cigarette is then dried and it can be sold or smoked later. This type of joint is known as a “dipper.” Very small quantities of PCP are normally used at any one time, with 5 to 10 milligrams being typical.
It is mostly young people who abuse this drug, such as teens in high school or young adults. It first became popular in the 1980s, leading police departments across the country to spread alerts about the dangers of trying to arrest people who had taken this drug. While some stories of the danger may have been exaggerated, it is true that some people who were hallucinatory would not feel pain even if they were shot and might even break their own hands to get out of handcuffs. The intensity of the psychosis and the anesthesia resulting from PCP combined to make these people hazardous to be around.
As if these symptoms of PCP abuse were not bad enough, it is also addictive. A person will build a tolerance to the drug, meaning that more needs to be taken to get the same effect they want to experience. And they will go through withdrawal symptoms when they quit using it. This means that no matter what damage, injury, danger or other harm is being experienced by a person from using this devastating hallucinogen, they will continue to buy the drug and consume it. A PCP addict is in serious and immediate need of recovery from this addiction. Unfortunately, PCP has become more popular in the last few years. This is a highly unpredictable drug that could put any user or anyone in the vicinity of a user at risk. Publicly available video footage shows PCP users lying in the road, walking around naked and attacking people and objects around them.
