Raiders of the Lost PCP

Raiders of the Lost PCP

Eight Police cruisers clog up the narrow neighborhood street, making no effort to park their vehicles. Each officer stands outside their car with confused looks on their face as they watch a twenty-something man walk in circles in the middle of the street. He flails his arms wildly while making incoherent noises, only stopping occasionally to peel off an article of clothing. Each officer maintains a ten-foot distance, shooting confuses glances at one another. The officers know he is hallucinating because of some kind of illicit substance, but are unsure as to what exactly that could be. Suddenly the hallucinating man wobbles over to a thick wooden fence and punches right through it, breaking every bone in his hand. He then turns to the officers, screams some more incoherent babble and walks towards them. He is completely oblivious to his broken hand, which now hangs limply by his side. One officer pulls out her tazer and fires at his stomach, only to look in amazement as he continues as though nothing happened. A tazer would normally put down even the toughest guys, but this hallucinator has not even flinched. Finally the officers rush the hallucinating man in unison, and immobilize him. However it takes all eight officers to do it, because the man's superhuman strength and his inability to feel any pain.

The hallucinating man in the story above was high on PCP ( phencyclidine) a powdered street drug that is known for being one of the most hardcore and dangerous drugs on the street. It is a white powder that is water soluble. This powder is typically snorted, smoked, or injected.7 Strong doses of this drug can result in one hallucinating, inability to feel pain, increased stamina and strength, and feeling removed from one's own body. In order for someone to understand PCP they should probably know of it's history and how it has come to be what it is today.

PCP (Phencyclidine) is an dissociative anesthesia that was first synthesized in 1926. Nothing significant was done with PCP until 1956 when it was studies to see if it could be used for medical purposes. Initial tests done on animals indicated that it may be effective as an anesthetic. PCP was first tested on humans intravenously before they underwent surgery. However, after surgery the patients were reported to be having problems such as slurred speech, delirium, hallucinations, agitation, and disorientation. Hallucinations typically resulted in a feeling of weightlessness and and feeling removed from the body. However, despite popular belief PCP is not a hallucinogen like LSD because it takes large doses to create hallucinations. PCP is highly addictive and many users have very difficult times kicking their addictions once hooked. Long-term effects of PCP include weight loss, difficulties with memory, and depression. These symptoms may continue for a year after users have stopped taking the drug.

In the late 1960's PCP hit the streets of San Francisco. Most users did not know much about the drug and as a result the subsequent effects came as a rather unpleasing surprise. It did not take long for PCP to gain a bad reputation and many drug users stayed away from it. However the drug was sold to users across the country in a power or liquid form. Drug dealers started mixing PCP with Marijuana to produce very strong effects as well. Because most drug users at the time steered clear of PCP, drug dealers tricked many inexperienced users into buying PCP, telling them it was another drug. The side effects of PCP were described to be a living death for these users and many incorrect assumed they were dying or had been poisoned. Throughout the 1970's, a string of very bizarre PCP-related death's occurred. Many of them were incredibly brutal ( such as peeling one's own skin off or severing certain body parts) that PCP was removed from the markets. Now illicit laboratories had become the sole source of PCP.

PCP today is known as one of the most dangerous drugs on the market. It is still fairly common for dealers to mix PCP with other drugs in order to trick drug users, who unfortunately find out there drugs were mixed the hard way. Oddly enough PCP use peaked in 1979 when the prevalence rate was 14% lifetime use amongst High school senors and young adults aged 18-29. By 1992 lifetime use had shrunk to 2% amongst the same group. It seems as though most people have caught on to what PCP really is and it's horrible psychologically and physically damaging effects. In order for PCP use to be curbed even more, people must be educated as to what PCP is. Many people who are not familiar with the drug may try it without knowing what they are getting into. Since PCP is less popular then cocaine and heroin it is not talked about too much. However, it is much more dangerous then both of these drugs and preventive steps must be taken in order to create as close to a PCP-free society as possible.

Fortunately for today's youth PCP is no longer a widely used drug, however an estimated two out of one-hundred high school senors will have tried PCP at least once, again probably because they were unaware of it's horrible effects. If the youth are the generation of the future then it would make sense to invest in them and help educate them about drugs such as PCP. A safer and cleaner America is right over the horizon, but it can only be reached it we work together and invest in the next generation of good Americans.