Pass A Drug Test for Phencyclidine & PCP

In its pure form, PCP is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water; however, most PCP on the street contains a number of contaminates causing the color to range from tan to brown, with a consistency ranging from powder to a gummy mass.
 

PCP is most commonly sold as a powder or liquid.
 

PCP may also come in tablet or capsule form.ⁱⁱⁱ

How is phencyclidine used?
 

PCP may be snorted, smoked, injected, or swallowed.^iv
 

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. ^v

What are some consequences of phencyclidine use?
 

Numbness, slurred speech, loss of coordination, rapid and involuntary eye movements
 

Auditory hallucinations, image distortion, severe mood disorders, amnesia,
 

In some users PCP use may result in acute anxiety, a feeling of impending doom, paranoia, violent hostility, and in some it may produce a psychoses indistinguishable from schizophrenia.
 

PCP use is associated with a number of risks and many believe it to be one of the most dangerous drugs of abuse. ^vi

How does phencyclidine get to 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.
 

Today, virtually all PCP encountered in the U.S. is produced in clandestine laboratories. ^vii
 

PCP production is centered in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. ^viii

Phencyclidine (PCP, Angel Dust) is a cheap and popular drug often concentrated in selected socioeconomic groups. PCP may be characterized as a hallucinogenic drug due to the wide range of bizarre behaviors associated with individuals under the influence. It was originally used as a veterinary tranquilizer and has had some human experimentation, but the bizarre recovery room effects made it useless. PCP has been illicitly used since the 1960's, but not a widely abused drug until the 1980's when it was placed on cigarettes (Sherms), and smoked. Smoking allows the user to rapidly and accurately titrate their dose. The effects of a drug ingested by smoking are quickly felt since it is rapidly absorbed by the lungs into the bloodstream and circulated to the site of action in the brain. Thus, smoking allows the user a rapid feedback on how "high" they are getting. Phencyclidine is easily manufactured from relatively common chemical precursors, is relatively potent, and long lasting. These factors combined make it a frequently abused illicit drug.

Pharmacological Effects

Phencyclidine is rapidly absorbed from the lung and easily crosses the blood/brain barrier. In an average size (150 lb.) individual, each absorbed milligram (mg) will produce approximately 10 ng/ml concentration in the blood. Symptomatic blood concentrations range from about 4 ng/ml to 100 ng/ml. Symptoms progress from barely observable/perceptible at the lower end to comatose/catatonic at 100 ng/ml. Higher concentrations have been recorded. Observable symptoms include "ether" breath (or "solvent" breath), nystagmus (vertical and horizontal) movements of the eye, "moon walk", and a diverse variety of behavior including hallucinations, catatonic rigidity, "superhuman" strength, lack of stimulus to pain, time distortions, and lack of memory and events while "stoned".

Laboratory Methods

Phencyclidine has several analogues and precursors. Most are illegal. TOX.NET LABORATORIES screens for phencyclidine by immunoassay and confirms by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

Cutoff and Detection Post Dose

The immunoassay technique used to detect PCP in urine has a cutoff level of 25 ng/ml. PCP is cleared from the bloodstream with a relatively long half life of 7-11 hours. Because it is a lipid (fat) soluble drug, detection in the urine is possible up to 48 hours or longer post dose. Blood levels correspond much better than urine to behavioral effects, i.e. being under the influence, but urine is a better screening fluid since drugs are concentrated for elimination. Confirmation levels on GC/MS is 25 ng/ml.