Drugs and Chemicals of Concern

PHENCYCLIDINE

(Street Names:  PCP, Angel Dust, Supergrass, Boat, Tic Tac, Zoom, Shermans)

April 2010
DEA/OD/ODE

Introduction:

After a decline in abuse during the late 1980s and 1990s, phencyclidine (PCP) has re-emerged as a drug of abuse.  PCP is considered a “club drug” and is abused by young adults involved in the “rave culture.”  Street names include Angel Dust, Hog, Ozone, Rocket Fuel, Shermans, Wack, Crystal and Embalming Fluid.  Street names for PCP combined with marijuana include Killer Joints, Super Grass, Fry, Lovelies, Wets, and Waters.

Licit Uses:

Once marketed as an anesthetic in the United States under the trade names Sernyl and Sernylan, PCP is no longer produced or used for medical purposes in the United States.

Chemistry and Pharmacology:

Phencyclidine, 1-(1-phencyclohexyl) piperdine, is a colorless crystalline powder that is sparingly soluble in water.  PCP is clandestinely manufactured for purposes of abuse.
PCP is known as a “dissociative anesthetic” because it distorts sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment from one’s environment and self.  Its pharmacological effects include the ability to produce sedation, immobility, amnesia, and marked analgesia.  The drug effects of PCP vary by the route of administration and dose.  The effects can be felt within 2 to 5 minutes after smoking and 30 to 60 minutes after oral ingestion.  PCP intoxication may last between 4 and 8 hours when consuming a recreational dose, although some users report subjective effects lasting between 24 and 48 hours.  Low to moderate doses (1 to 5 mg) of PCP often cause the user to feel detached, distant and estranged from his surroundings.  Numbness, slurred speech and loss of coordination may 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.  High doses (10 mg or more) of PCP produce illusions and hallucination (auditory).  Physiological effects include increased blood pressure, rapid and shallow breathing, elevated heart rate and elevated temperature.
Chronic use of PCP can result in dependency with a withdrawal syndrome upon cessation of the drug.  Chronic abuse of PCP can impair memory and thinking.  The user can have persistent speech difficulties such as slurred speech, stuttering, inability to articulate and inability to speak.  Other symptoms from long-term use include suicidal ideation, anxiety, depression, social withdrawal and social isolation

Illicit Uses:

PCP is abused for its mind altering effects.  It is abused in one of three ways: snorted, smoked or swallowed.  Smoking is the most common method of abusing PCP.  Leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, tobacco, or marijuana are saturated with powdered PCP which is than rolled into a cigarette, called a joint, for smoking.  Marijuana joint or cigarette dipped in a solution of PCP is known as a “dipper.” PCP is typically used in small quantities with 5 to 10 mg being considered an average dose.

User Population: 

PCP is abused by young adults and high school students. In 2008, there was an estimated 37,266 emergency department visits associated with PCP use, according to Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN ED).  This is an increase from an estimated total of 28,035 PCP visits in 2007.  Similarly, the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) reports an increase from 662 PCP poison case mentions in 2007 to 747 PCP case mentions in 2008.  According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports, in 2008, 6.6 million (2.7%) individuals in the U.S., aged 12 and older, reported using PCP non-medically in their lifetime and 99,000 individuals used PCP in the past year comparing to 137,000 individuals in 2007.  The Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey indicates that 0.9%, 1.1% and 1.0% of 12th graders reported using PCP in the past year, in 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively.

Illicit Distribution:

PCP is available in powder, crystal, tablet, capsule, and liquid forms.  It is most commonly sold in powder and liquid forms.  Tablets sold as MDMA (Ecstasy) occasionally are found to contain PCP.  Prices for PCP range from $5-$15 for tablets, $20-$30 for a gram of powder PCP, and $200-$300 for an ounce of liquid PCP.  The “dipper” sells for $10-$20 each.
According to the System to Retrieve Information from Drug Evidence (STRIDE), federal law enforcement officials submitted 373, 417 and 320 drug exhibits, identified as PCP, to DEA forensic laboratories in 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively.  The National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) indicates that the number of PCP exhibits submitted to state and local forensic laboratories increased from 3,893 in 2007 to 4,527 in 2008.  In 2009, state and local law enforcement officials submitted 4,540 drug exhibits, identified as PCP, to forensic laboratories.

Control Status:

On February 24, 1978, PCP was transferred from Schedule III to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act.

Comments and additional information are welcomed by the Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section; Fax 202-353-1263, telephone 202-307-7183, or Email ODE@usdoj.gov.

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