PCP (Phencyclidine)
Embalming Fluid And PCP
Stories of individuals smoking tobacco soaked in embalming fluid (with no PCP) date back to the early 1960's and the practice is probably older than that.
The practice of smoking marijuana that has been soaked with a mixture of embalming fluid and PCP is thought to have originated prior to a product called 'amp' hitting the streets in the early 1980's.
Embalming fluid got some media coverage in the early 1990's. News stories about marijuana cigarettes being laced with the product were reported in the state of Texas. Sold as fry or fry stick(s), it had become popular with some residents of the state.
The primary commercial consumers of embalming fluid are funeral homes and morgues. The compound itself is a mixture of formaldehyde, methanol, ethyl alcohol, various solvents, and other chemicals. However, almost all embalming fluid sold on the streets contains PCP to make it more potent.
Embalming fluid is diverted from legitimate sources by dealers who pay prices somewhere between $15-$25 a gallon, or less. PCP is then added and the mixture is placed in small containers (usually 1-2 ounces) for sale to re-sellers.
Although some users are able to obtain small containers of fry, most buy fry sticks from a dealer rather than producing their own.
To make fry sticks, a person submerges joints of marijuana (tobacco, tea, or other substances are sometimes substituted) in a solution of embalming fluid and PCP until they are saturated.
They are then removed from the solution and allowed to dry enough so they don't drip when touched. When ready, a fry stick is placed in something like aluminum foil until it is smoked or sold to a user.
Users say that smoking a fry stick is not pleasant. The most common complaint is the taste is like chemicals (gas, rubbing alcohol, etc). The high lasts about 30-120 minutes depending on the amount consumed.
At lower doses embalming fluid can numb pain (physical and mental), produce a feeling of euphoria, and induce mild hallucinations. Negative effects like headache, depression, and disturbed vision can last a day or longer.
At high doses people tend to react the same way as they do on PCP. They are usually highly disturbed because they were not aware that the drug they consumed contained PCP, and they do not like the feeling.
Almost every time the drug was introduced to a new area it got a new name. Some of the names embalming fluid has been sold under include amp, boat, clickers, clickums, dank, fry, fry stick, happy stick, hydro, illie (illy), loveboat, sheba, sherm, takow, therm, wet, and whack.
Very few people will buy PCP if they know what it is. It has been added to (or sold as) almost every drug on the street. Embalming fluid is one of many ways to make large amounts of money by selling PCP as another drug. A single fry stick can sell for $5 to $20.
In the 1970's, PCP (in a powdered form called angel dust) was added to marijuana and first sold as an expensive new super-potent marijuana strain. As word got out that angel dust was actually PCP, the price fell dramatically.
Angel dust gained popularity in the mid-late 1970's and popularity continued into the 1980's. But by the early 1990's, PCP use was, and has continued to be, fairly low when compared with other drugs.
It should be assumed that because of the relative ease of manufacture and low production cost, PCP will continue to re-emerge as 'new' drugs in the future.
copyright © www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/
Books PCP:
The Dangerous Angel
Fairly comprehensive overview of PCP, although it is biased against drugs. A view of the history of PCP. From it's first synthesis as a surgical anesthetic to veterinary anesthetic to street drug. Describes the chemical properties of phencyclidine, the physical and psychological effects, and more.
PCP: The Dangerous Angel
PCP Related More PCP Articles