Overview

PCP is an illegal drug abused for its hallucinogenic effects.

1. What are the street names?

   Angel Dust, Embalming Fluid, Killer Weed, Rocket Fuel, Supergrass

2. What does this drug look like?

   In its pure form, PCP is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water. However, most PCP on the street is tan/brown in color, powdery or gummy in consistency, and is typically transported in small foil wraps. PCP is most commonly sold as a powder or liquid, and applied to a leafy material such as oregano, parsley, mint, or marijuana and then smoked.

3. How is this drug abused?

   Smoked, injected, snorted, taken orally

4. How does this drug affect the mind?

   PCP use often causes a user to feel detached, distant and estranged from his surroundings. Auditory hallucinations and severe mood disorders can occur. In some users, acute anxiety, paranoia and hostility, as well as psychosis can occur.

5. How does this drug affect the body?

   Numbness, slurred speech, and loss of coordination can be accompanied by a sense of strength and invulnerability. A blank stare, rapid and involuntary eye movements, and an exaggerated gait are among the more observable effects.

6. What drugs cause similar effects?

   PCP’s effects are similar to other hallucinogens, such as mescaline and peyote.

7. What are the overdose effects?

   Longer, more intense “trip” episodes, psychosis and possible death.

8. What is the legal status in the United States?

   Originally designed as a human anesthetic and later produced only as a veterinary anesthetic, PCP is no longer produced or used for legitimate purposes.

9. What are the common places of origin?

   PCP is generally produced in clandestine laboratories in the United States.