PCP (Phencyclidine) - What Kind of Drug Is It?
What Kind of Drug Is It?
Phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP, can be classified both as an hallucinogen and as an anesthetic. For legal purposes, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers PCP an hallucinogen, meaning it can make people see, hear, feel, and otherwise sense things that are not real. Scientists classify it as a dissociative anestheticsPronounced dih-SOH-shee-uh-tiv ANN-ess-THET-iks; drugs that cause users to feel as if their minds are separated from their bodies.. Dissociative refers to a feeling of being disconnected from one's body. An anesthetic is a substance that causes a loss of sensation in the body.
Depending on the dosage, PCP also acts as a depressant or as a stimulant, slowing down or speeding up normal body functions. PCP can do all of these things, and in addition, it can have many other weird, unpredictable, and dangerous side effects.
PCP is a synthetic substance, meaning that it is made in a laboratory. The ingredients used in its manufacture are completely artificial and not found in nature. The only way to create it is to use industrial chemicals. Many authorities on drug use consider PCP among the most dangerous substances of abuse. What is sold on the street as pure PCP is usually quite impure.
Typically, PCP is mixed with other substances, which can have their own harmful effects and can add to the drug's risks. Furthermore, because many people know how harmful and unpleasant the effects of PCP can be, drug dealers will often come up with a new name for their product in order to convince potential buyers to try it. Thus, someone who is actually trying to buy PCP may end up with something else, while someone trying to buy another drug may really be given PCP.
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