What is Phencyclidine (PCP)?
Phencyclidine is called PCP or “angel dust.”  It is a drug with both hallucinogenic and depressant effects. It was first tried as a surgical anesthetic but caused unpleasant side effects. It was soon legally restricted to veterinary use for a time but now is illegal. PCP on the street today is illegally made. PCP may be in pill, powder or crystal form. It is most often swallowed or smoked. It is sometimes injected.

What are PCP’s immediate effects?
Effects vary according to dosage levels. Effects include euphoria, mood changes, altered perceptions, dulled senses, reduced sensitivity to pain, loss of coordination, and speech problems.

With larger doses the user becomes excited and confused. Muscles may become rigid, memory and mental focus may be lost and vision may be altered. Delirium may occur. Intense mood change may include feelings of isolation, fear of death, and changes in the user’s perceptions of their bodies. Behavior may become violent. Research shows that PCP confuses the brain’s stimuli, changing how users perceive and deal with people and events. Common tasks like driving or walking may become difficult.

What are the risks of PCP use?
PCP can produce violent and bizarre actions even in people not prone to such behavior. These can result in injury or death for the user or others. PCP’s effects also make driving a vehicle or operating machinery unsafe.  PCP use can result in convulsions, coma, heart failure, lung failure or ruptured blood vessels in the brain. Death can result.

What are the longer-term risks of the drug?
Some users suffer from a schizophrenic-like psychosis which can last for days or weeks. These users may sometimes be excited, incoherent and aggressive. At other times they may be uncommunicative, depressed and withdrawn. Paranoia is a feeling of being persecuted often occurs. Chronic users report memory and speech problems that may last up to a year after drug use has ended. Users may become depressed, anxious, violent, or have hallucinations.

What are the risks of PCP use during pregnancy?
Any drug taken by a pregnant woman will affect her unborn child. PCP crosses the placenta to the fetus. Effects may include withdrawal, birth defects, and behavioral problems. Studies indicate that babies born to women who used PCP during pregnancy tend to be small, irritable and sensitive to sound.

Legal Information
Phencyclidine is a Controlled Substance under Michigan and federal law.  Use, possession, delivery, possession with intent to deliver, and manufacture of the drug are all illegal.  Penalties include imprisonment and fines.  Certain penalties are mandatory.

Penalties are increased if a person eighteen years or older distributes the drug to a person under eighteen, or distributes the drug near school property.

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