PCP (Phencyclidine) - Overview

Overview

PCP was developed in the 1950s as an anesthetic. It showed promise for use in humans during surgery because of its strong numbing effect. However, the drug also has a dissociative effect, meaning it causes users to feel disconnected from their bodies. During the 1960s, PCP's dangerous side effects began to be noticed. The authors of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

PCPs primary action is dissociative, meaning that it makes the mind feel separated from the body. This can be very scary for some people, and they tend to panic as a result. Victor Habbick Visions/Photo Researchers, Inc.
PCP's primary action is dissociative, meaning that it makes the mind feel separated from the body. This can be very scary for some people, and they tend to panic as a result. Victor Habbick Visions/Photo Researchers, Inc.

research report titled "Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs" explained, "PCP was used in veterinary medicine but was never approved for human use because of problems that arose during clinical studies, including deliriumA mental disturbance marked by confusion, hallucinations, and difficulty focusing attention and communicating. and extreme agitation experienced by patients emerging from anesthesia." Frequently, patients who had been given the drug became violently upset and imagined terrible things were happening to them when the dose began to wear off.

In 1978, all legal manufacture of PCP was stopped in the United States because street use was becoming too widespread. Illegal laboratories still continued to produce the drug because it is fairly easy and cheap to make. According to "DEA Briefs & Background: Phencyclidine (PCP)," its manufacture is centered in the Los Angeles area in California, although illegal laboratories have been found in other places around the country.

Illicit Drug Manufacturers "Pass Off" PCP as Other Drugs

Street use of PCP was fairly widespread during the middle and late 1960s. However, the many horror stories associated with its use caused its first wave of popularity to be rather short-lived. It continues to reappear on the street decade after decade, going by a wide variety of names. Experienced drug users know that PCP has very dangerous and frightening effects. Yet, drug dealers keep selling it because of the huge profits they can make.