PCP, Phencyclidine - NIDA Drugs of Abuse and Related Topics

Brief Description:	Illegally manufactured in labs and sold as tablets, capsules, or colored powder. It can be snorted, smoked, or eaten. Developed in the 1950s as an IV anesthetic, PCP was never approved for human use because of problems during clinical studies, including intensely negative psychological effects.
Street Names:	Angel dust, ozone, wack, rocket fuel, and many others.
Effects:	Many PCP users are brought to emergency rooms because of overdose or because of the drug's unpleasant psychological effects. In a hospital or detention setting, people high on PCP often become violent or suicidal.
Statistics and Trends:	In 2006, 187,000 Americans age 12 and older had abused PCP at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health; http://www.samhsa.gov/. The NIDA-funded 2007 Monitoring the Future Study does not measure PCP use among 8th and 10th graders but showed that 0.9% of 12th graders had abused PCP at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Source: Monitoring the Future http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/.

	NIDA InfoFacts: PCP/Phencyclidine. Brief description of the health hazards and extent of use of PCP. For a general audience. (Fact sheet). En Español
	NIDA Research Report: Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs. Detailed look at current research findings on PCP, LSD, Ketamine, and others. For a general audience. (Report). En Español

View all related NIDA publications >> 1091043since 10/25/99

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