Phencyclidine, known as PCP, has a long history from its start as a medical anesthetic to its shift into a dangerous, illicit substance in the modern era.
The Scientific Beginnings: 1926 to 1956
The story of PCP began in 1926. Chemists Arthur Kötz and Paul Merkel successfully created the compound using a reaction called a Grignard reaction. To be fair, this was a massive scientific breakthrough, but the substance sat on the shelf for years. Nobody really knew what to do with it.
It wasn’t until 1956 that H. Victor Maddox, working for the drug company Parke-Davis, took a closer look. He saw potential in it as a tool for surgery. They eventually patented it under the name Sernyl. At the time, they really believed it would change how doctors performed operations.
Medical Application and Rapid Decline: 1957–1965
By 1957, Sernyl moved into clinical trials. Doctors liked that it could block pain—which is called analgesia—without slowing down a patient’s breathing or heart rate. That seemed like a win.
But wait—things turned south quickly. Doctors noticed that patients were waking up from surgery in a state of wild confusion. They felt anxious, agitated, and experienced what looked like psychosis. These “emergent reactions” were, frankly, terrifying. Because these side effects were so bad, the medical world stopped using it for humans in the United States by 1965.
Transition to Veterinary Medicine and Illicit Use: Late 1960s
After humans stopped using it, the drug found a new home in veterinary clinics. It was used as a tranquilizer for animals. But that didn’t stay clean for long. By the late 1960s, the drug started appearing on the streets. People were drawn to the way it changed their perception of reality. By 1969, the government stepped in and made making, selling, or even holding the drug a serious crime.
Regulatory Tightening and Peak Notoriety: 1970–1978
The early 1970s were a messy time. Authorities fought to get the drug off the streets, but it was spreading. Initially, it was a Schedule III substance, but the government soon realized that wasn’t enough.
In 1978, the law got much tougher, and it was moved to Schedule II. That same year, all legal use in animal medicine stopped. Why? Because better, safer options—like ketamine—were now available. During this time, the media painted a dark picture of the drug, often calling it the most dangerous substance in America. As one researcher noted, the societal impact of PCP during this decade fundamentally changed how the public perceived chemical safety.
Decline and Modern Scientific Legacy
Following the heavy crackdown in the late 70s, use of the drug slowed down significantly. By 1990, the number of high school students reporting any use had dropped from 13% down to under 3%.
While you don’t hear about it as much on the street today, the drug is still vital in science. Its ability to create symptoms that look like schizophrenia has made it a key tool for researchers studying the brain. It helps scientists investigate the NMDA receptor and how it might trigger mental health disorders, which is a major focus in modern neurobiology.
References
DrugAbuse.com. (n.d.). PCP Facts, History, and Statistics. https://drugabuse.com/drugs/hallucinogens/pcp/history-statistics/
EBSCO. (n.d.). PCP | Health and Medicine | Research Starters. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/health-and-medicine/pcp
Healthline. (n.d.). PCP (Phencyclidine): 9 FAQs About Angel Dust. https://www.healthline.com/health/pcp
National Drug Intelligence Center. (n.d.). PCP Fast Facts. https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs4/4440/index.htm
Petursson, H. (2018). DARK Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Phencyclidine (PCP). ACS Chemical Neuroscience. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00266
PubMed. (2018). DARK Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Phencyclidine (PCP). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29953199/
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Phencyclidine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phencyclidine
