Stone 1 Deirdre Stone T/TH 11:30-12:50 15 March 2014 Research Paper

Phencyclidine, more commonly known as PCP, was first synthesized in 1926 under the name Sernyl. It was first used as an anesthetic in the 1950s and as a tranquilizer in veterinary medicine. Due to the side effects of hallucinations, delirium, mania, delusions, severe anxiety, and agitation when using the drug, its development for human medical use was discontinued in the 1960s by Parke Davis. Ketamine, an anesthetic used in pediatric and veterinary medicine, was then developed and is structurally similar to PCP (Deeney 2014). PCP is listed as a Schedule II drug by the US Drug Enforcement Agency; ketamine is a Schedule III agent. PCP became a substance of abuse in the mid-1960s. It started out in pill form, then in the 1970s the powder form became more popular and PCP started being snorted or smoked, which gave the users a more immediate high. PCP is now illegally made in labs and is sold on the street by such names as diabolic wet (Deeney 2014). The sedative and anesthetic effects of PCP are trance-like, and users report a feeling of being "out of body" and detached from their environment. When snorted or smoked, PCP rapidly passes to the brain to disrupt the functioning of NMDA receptor complexes for the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate receptors play a major role in the perception of pain, in cognition, and in emotion. In the brain, PCP

Stone 2 also alters the actions of dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for the euphoria and rush associated with many other abused drugs (Deeney 2014). PCP has many physical and emotional effects. The effects all depend on the size of the dose, the place where it is taken, and the users personality. 5 milligrams or less may result in milder effects and doses of 10 milligrams or more may result in more intense effects. Some emotional effects of PCP use include mild to intense euphoria, relaxation or drowsiness, feeling of unreality and dissociation, distorted sense of body, feeling of weightlessness, distorted sense of time, visual and auditory hallucinations, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, agitation, paranoia, confusion, depression, panic, terror, and the fear of imminent death. Physical effects of PCP use are impaired motor skills, blurred vision, painful reaction to sound, speech disturbances, decreased sensitivity and awareness of pain, touch, and position, irregular heartbeat, high or low blood pressure, irregular breathing, nausea, salivation, and increased body temperature. Very high doses may result in an overdose and lead to coma, convulsions, or death (PCP Drug Info 2014). PCP also has many long-term effects. Chronic users may binge and use PCP repeatedly for 2 or 3 days at a time without eating or sleeping, followed by a period of sleep. These are known as runs and may happen as many as four times in a month. Other long-term effects of PCP use are impaired memory, flashbacks similar to those experienced by chronic LSD users, speech problems (stuttering), severe anxiety and depression, which could possibly lead to suicide attempts, social withdrawal, and isolation. Toxic psychosis may appear in chronic users who do not have a prior history of psychiatric disturbances. The symptoms of toxic psychosis

Stone 3 are aggressive or hostile behavior, paranoia, delusional thinking, and auditory hallucinations (Tareg 2014). There are many risks that come with PCP use. It has been known to cause violent behavior and give users the feeling that they have superhuman strength. Research shows that it isnt PCP that causes those behaviors and strengths. Those who do experience violent outbursts while under the influence of PCP often have a history of psychosis or antisocial behavior that may or may not be related to their drug abuse. Users of PCP are often unaware of dangers and limitations they have. They may react to confrontations in a way that makes it seem like they have super muscular strength (Tareg 2014). Overdoses and deaths are another risk of using PCP. Overdose deaths can happen after taking a large dose, but a lot of PCP related deaths are caused from delusions and other psychological consequences of the drugs use. Deaths have been caused by accidental drowning, jumping from high places, and car accidents. Deaths have also been caused by self-mutilation, suicides, and homicides. PCP can also be an addictive drug , which can result in psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive behavior. PCP can also negatively affect the normal growth and development of teenagers and slow down the learning process. Some users of PCP will also attempt to commit suicide while under the influence of the drug, because of the many effects (Jenkins 2014). The state of Utah has many penalties for trafficking or using PCP. First-time trafficking offenders can receive a prison sentence of ten years to life. If injury or death is associated with the trafficking, the court can give a sentence of 20 years to

Stone 4 life in prison. Individual fines may not exceed four million dollars, and group trafficking fines may not exceed ten million dollars. Second-offense penalties will result in a prison sentence of 20 years to life. Serious injury that occurs during a second drug trafficking offense may result in a sentence of life in prison. Fines for a second offense range from eight million dollars for an individual offender to 20 million dollars for drug trafficking groups. Possession of PCP in Utah is a third degree felony, with a penalty of 0-5 years in state prison and/or up to a 10,000 dollar fine. Distributing is a 2nd degree felony, with a potential sentence of 1-15 years in prison and/or up to a 10,000 dollar fine. Distribution in a drug-free zone, which is within 1,000 feet of a school or church, is a first degree felony with a potential sentence of five years to life in state prison and/or up to a 10,000 dollar fine (PCP Drug Info 2014). The variety of street names for PCP reflects its bizarre and irrational effects on those who use it. PCP can be mixed easily with dyes and turns up on the illegal drug markets in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders. PCP can be taken in multiple ways, it can be smoked, snorted, or eaten. Straight PCP is known as angel dust, amp, animal tranq, zoom, peace pills, boat, sherm (sticks), super grass, and embalming fluid. PCP mixed with marijuana is known as wet, dust blunt/joint, happy stick, fry sticks, love boat, and dippers. When PCP and MDMA are combined is known as elephant flipping or Pikachu (Jenkins 2014). The cost of PCP varies on where it is bought, what type of PCP, and who is selling it. The wholesale price for liquid PCP ranges from 6,500 to 28,000 dollars a gallon. The retain price for a PCP-laced cigarette or joint ranges from five to 30

Stone 5 dollars. PCP powder or tablets range from 20 to 30 dollars a gram/tablet. The retail price of liquid is 125 to 600 dollars an ounce (Jenkins 2014). In its pure form, PCP is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water or alcohol and has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. On the illicit drug market, PCP contains a number of contaminants causing the color to range from a light to darker brown with a powdery to a gummy mass consistency. It is available in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders, which are either taken orally or by insufflation. The liquid form of PCP is actually PCP base dissolved most often in ether, a highly flammable solvent. For smoking, PCP is typically sprayed onto leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, or marijuana. PCP may also be injected (Tareg 2014). Pharmacologically, PCP is a noncompetitive NMDA/glutamate receptor antagonist, but also interacts with other receptor sites, and may have effects with dopamine, opioid, and nicotinic receptors. Reported symptoms are those that mimic schizophrenia, such as delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, disordered thinking, and a sensation of distance from ones environment. People also experience mood disturbances: Approximately 50 percent of individuals brought to emergency rooms because of PCP-induced problemsrelated to use within the past 48 hoursreport significant elevations in anxiety symptoms. People who have abused PCP for long periods of time have reported memory loss, difficulties with speech and thinking, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to one year after

Stone 6 stopping PCP abuse. Addiction: PCP is addictiveits repeated abuse can lead to craving and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior, despite severe adverse consequences (Tareg 2014).

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Works Cited Deeney, Jeff. "The New Rise of PCP." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/04/22/pcp-the-new-rise-ofa-drug-that-turns-teens-crazy.html>. Bey, Tareg, and Anar Patel. "INTRODUCTION." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 5 July 1928. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2859735/>. Jenkins, John. PCP (drug). Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/447627/PCP.> PCP Drug Information. PCP Drug Info. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/pcp.html> Return of angel dust? ERs see spike in PCP, synthetic drugs. NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/returnangel-dust-ers-see-spike-pcp-synthetic-drugs-f2D11674428>