>>>---> PCP <---<<< Angel Dust, Killer Weed, supergrass, crystal cyclone, elephant tranquilizer, hog, PeaCe Pill...PCP. It's a drug with many names. And a bad name. It's unpredictable and unpleasant, and yet, people use it to get high. The first time I tried PCP, I black out. My friends tried to help me, but I kept falling and hitting my head. I couldn't even talk to ask them what happened. I was confused. That's what the dust does to you. It was really bad. I got scared. --a 13-year-old girl from Chicago Before the drug first caught on in San Francisco in 1967, advance publicity touted PCP's effects as falling somewhere between those of marihuana and LSD. But many early PCP experimenters soon rejected it as a bad drug after experiencing some of its frightening effects. In spite of its bad name, however, PCP is increasingly seen on the street today. It's cheap and available and often masquerades as other popular street drugs. PCP is most often sold as THC (marihuana's active ingredient), a drug which is rarely seen on the street. Many users take PCP without knowing what they're taking. But, for some, PCP is a drug of choice. * IT'S FOR ANIMALS, NOT FOR PEOPLE -------------------------------- Phencyclidine, or PCP, was first synthesized about 20 years ago. It was intended to be used as an anesthetic agent in human surgery. But, PCP produced unwanted and unpleasant side effects, and experimental studies with hu- mans were soon discontinued. Today, its only legal to use is in veterinary medicine. In spite of this restriction, PCP is easy to get on the street. That's because it's so easy to make. Using readily available chemicals, bootleg laboratories all over the coun- try are turning out the drug and making an attractive pro- fit. IT'S A VERSATILE DRUG --------------------- PCP comes in different forms--as a powder, as a tablet, or as a capsule in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. It can be taken in different ways--it can be smoked, snort- ed, swallowed, or injected. Smoking a joint made of parsley or marihuana sprinkled with PCP powder is by far the most popular method. Users find they can control PCP's effects better that way. But smoking too much can cause trouble. I smoked so much PCP, and it was very potent. It wasn't supposed to be that potent. I kept smoking, even until I passed out...When I woke up, I thought I could walk, but I couldn't feel myself walking. My brain felt just like jelly. --a 17-year-old girl from Beverly Hills Taking the drug in its tablet, capsule, or pure powder form usually means getting even larger doses of PCP than from smoking it. But it's not easy to tell how much PCP is in a joint or a pill or a capsule. So often the effects are not at all what the user expects. AND IT'S POTENT --------------- PCP is a powerful drug even in small quantities. But, as with all psychoactive (mind-altering) drugs, effects vary depending on how much is taken, how it's taken, and who's taking it. Users often have trouble describing how they feel when they smoke PCP. Most users agree that it's different from other drugs. They say it feels like they're in another world--a fantasy world which is sometimes pleasant, some- times not. When the high wears off, users often feel mildly depressed, irritable, and alienated from their surroundings. Larger amounts of the drug can effect users differ- ently. They may appear confused and agitated, but at the same time they will have a blank, staring expression on their faces. They may look drunk because they're so unco- ordinated that they have trouble walking. Their speech is often confused, and their vision may be distorted. Think- ing, remembering, and making decisions can be very difficult. Some users may be violent and aggressive, while others may be silent, withdrawn, and difficult to communicate with. With even higher doses of PCP, users can go into a stupor or coma which might last for a few days or several weeks. And massive PCP overdoses can kill. THERE ARE OTHER DANGERS ----------------------- More PCP users die from accidents caused by the strange behavior the drug produces in them than from the actual chemical effect of the drug itself. People on PCP have drowned in shallow water because they are so disoriented they can't tell which way is up. Others have had auto accidents, fallen off of roofs and out of windows because of the drug's intoxicating effects. Some have died in fires because PCP made them insensitive to the pain of burning and so confused and disoriented that they couldn't escape from the flames. PCP can produce violent behavior even in people not ordinarily prone to such behavior. These users have been known to assault other people or to injure themselves. Sometimes the result is murder or suicide. IT CAN HAVE LONG-TERM EFFECTS ----------------------------- Many users who take PCP regularly experience disturban- ces in memory, judgment, concentration, and perception long after they have stopped taking the drug. In addition, these long-term users are subject to re- curring bouts of anxiety and depression. Sporadic outbreaks of violent behavior are common. In some people, PCP-induced psychoses (serious mental disorders) have been reported. SO WHY DO PEOPLE USE IT? ------------------------ For one thing many novice drug users don't know what they're using. Sometimes dealers will cut more expensive drugs with PCP to increase profits. So often people who think they're getting THC, mescaline, or cocaine are really buying PCP. Some people take PCP because their friends are taking it. Some take it because they aren't familiar with its risks, or else don't believe the bad things they've heard about the drug. And some who know about PCP's dangers take it anyway just to prove they can handle it. Some people, however, enjoy the effects PCP has on the and take it by choice. The sense of oblivion, numbness, and unreality, and PCP's peculiar distortion of sensation--no matter how un- pleasant for most people--are appealing to them. And even some users who have had bad experiences with PCP keep on taking it. MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ------------------ You may know someone who is having trouble with PCP or some other drug. You may be able to help by referring the person to a local drug abuse program that can provide the kind of treatment he or she needs. In a drug abuse emergency, you should seek help at a drug crisis center or a hospital emergency room. If you know what drug was taken, tell the emergency treatment staff. It will help them to quickly decide on the proper treatment. Also, a person in trouble with drugs needs all the support and understanding you can give. And that's another way you can really help. For more information on PCP or other drugs, write to: National Clearinghouse for Drug Abuse Information Room 10A-56, Parklawn Building 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, Maryland 20857 * Due to the unstable properties of PCP it has now been discontinued for veterinary use. ...a safer community through citizen involvement... =BRYAN POLICE DEPARTMENT= --CRIMEBYTE BBS (409) 779-2936 (Bryan, Texas)