Supply

PCP had a brief period of popularity in the late 1960's, when it was trafficked as a "magic peace pill." The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that abuse of the drug resurfaced from 1975 into the late 1980's because of the low price and powerful effects. From 1981 through 1985, trafficking of PCP escalated significantly, particularly among persons younger than 21. Narcotics agencies reports show that the number of PCP laboratories seized since the mid-1980's is considerably smaller than the high number reported in 1978.

Modifications of the basic PCP manufacturing process have yielded a variety of chemically similar compounds referred to as "analogues." These PCP variants or analogues, include PCC, PCE, PHP, TCP, and the anesthetic, ketamine, produce similar psychic effects and have already been sold on the illicit "street market" as PCP. More commonly, PCP is sold under numerous other names that reflect its bizarre effects, for example, "angel dust," "peep," "supergrass," "KJ," "killer weed," "ozone," "embalming fluid," and "rocket fuel." In the recent past, PCP was often misrepresented as more attractive drugs, such as THC or other marijuana products, mescaline, LSD, amphetamine, and even cocaine, because of PCP's bad "street" reputation.

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