The PCP Thread

[jspun]

In the 80s and 90s, in the South Bay, San Jose in particular, there was a major scene for PCP. At that time, (in the 80s) San jose was being called the PCP capital of the world. At that time, the drug ( along with every other drug except heroin)- was readily available. Heroin was around- if you new thw right people. Anyway, this drug, associated with chicano gansters elsewere (like LA were it is called Sherms or supercools) or Washington, DC, the East Coast capital in the 80s, the drug cut accross race and socioeconomics. Although its use was primarily on the east side by hispanics, a sizable number of afficianados were suburban middle and upper middle class whites and other ethnic groups. The drug went by the name lenios, blast, and KJ (krystal Joint). Usually would get joints of parsely sprayed by PCP solution. It cost then <snip> a lenios (joint) and you could usually share 1 good one between 5-7 people. With this you would take spider hits as a rule and pass it on. The drug had a distinct metallic taste. In the 80s there was an open air scene of the drug on <snip> long gone, now a bunch of Asian markets across from the drive in. Then, there were a bunch of getto dilapidated stores. When I was in NA there in the late 90s, I was supprised how many people were there with KJ being there principal drug of choice. I hear of people test positive for it at the MMT clinic after I relapsed in 2002- people then in there 40s or even 50s.

Lately I have heard the drug is prevalent on the East coast, Houston, and, according to the DEA, the majority is produced by black gangs in Compton and sold as a liquid in bulk, I believe that there is still a strong PCP underground in San Jose with a cottage illicit lab industry- I read of one getting busted from time to time, to feed a market of die hards. I know there is alot of youngsters on BL but does anyone have any info on the scene for blast currently?? I have a feeling there is a thriving underground that the city is too happy to downplay given that the city is the major city comprising the Silicon Valley.

 

[di.ACE.tyl.rob]

Um, this doesn't really abide by the BLUA (you should read over it). You can't:

A. Site specific locations aside from the City/State.
B. You can't name prices.
C. It sounds like you're trying to source, although I'm not sure.

 

[MistaJeff]

I live in Santa Clara. I was deep into the drug scene in 2008 and 2009, I'm not so much anymore. As far as I can tell there isn't an abundance of PCP around. I've never met anyone who has even tried it. To the best of my knowledge PCP is a drug that thrives in the ghetto and I can't say I've spent much time in any ghetto other than East Palo Alto. PCP is probably around in San Francisco, not San Jose. San Francisco is defiantly a hub for drugs, San Jose not so much. San Jose is filled with Mexicans, I don't think Mexicans are that into PCP.

 

[skoat]

Um, this doesn't really abide by the BLUA (you should read over it). You can't:

A. Site specific locations aside from the City/State.

-Oh, please dude. He's talking about shit that was going on in the 80's and 90's.
A City name isn't too specific. Neither is mentioning a side (west, east). JSPUN has a thing for finding out what goes where.

B. You can't name prices.

-You kind of can, depends how you do it. Caps lock break when you were making your username?


C. It sounds like you're trying to source, although I'm not sure.

-And you've finally proven you don't know what you're talking about. Just shut-up. Please dude, go nod or sumthin'.


OP: I live in DC and until very recently I was able to get PCP through a mutual connection of mine. He 'spun' out and landed in rehab, but he fucking loved to smoke his "dippa".

 

[jspun]

The rules you mention are absolutely correct and included for historical values.

The specific location is no longer active ( police cracked down and shut that area down in the mid 80s. There were flare ups of active from time to time through the late 80s but by the time the Mercury News and all the TV stations were dubbing it "KJ korner"- the San Jose police departement under police chief Joseph McNamara and with the tacit approval of mayor Tom Mckinery having made it a matter of public poicy to make low level drug interdiction on the bottom of law enforcement priorities were forced to repond. Besides, known open air drug scenes in the city that at that time had the highest median income and essentially was the Silicon Valley (well along with suburbs such as Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cambell, Mountain View, and Palo Alto.) To solve the problem of regional prices and dick sizing, there is a yearly price thread were prices are posted. I don't remember seeing one for 1985 or 1986.:D

I'm not trying to be a smartass, but in the interest of harm reduction, I believe that historical trends and preserve part of history are important. The past is prologue as they say. As far as putting drugs on the bottom of law enforcement priorities, San Jose, at the time, was the safest major city in the US (its pop was about 850,000 at the time). This is according to the FBIs crime index. Maybe devoting police resources to preventing violent crimes and property crimes is a sane idea. This is inspite of the fact that you heard news stories about PCP crazed lunatics breaking handcuffs and needing a dozen assault rifle shots to go down (in the national media) and San Jose clearly experienced use of the drug way above the national average. With all those PCP crazed lunatics walking around, you'd think that downtown would be like a scene from Robo Cop if you believed the propaganda. But San Jose was the safest major city in the US (this is all a matter of public record). The Police Chief was actually and I believe still is a major critic of the war on drugs. Another lesson in history- what happens when you leave non violent drug offenders alone and focus your effort on violent criminals. In my modest midle class neighborhood, I was never scared to stay out after dark

I'm not trying to source. If I wanted to get PCP- I know of a small market for it here in San Diego from people I've talked to in NA, and I know that it is available in TJ although meth, coke, heroin, buds, pharms, and the occasional E are present, the way to find whatever you want down there has been discussed and not to hard. Why drive 8 hrs north when a sure thing is only 20 minutes so from my house. No this is pure historic and it goes hand in hand with PCP capital of the world thread I started a few months ago were I was arguing San Jose is as close as comming to spiritual home or historic home for the drug analogous to San Diego for tweak. They may not be powerhouses, but their scenes never died out- they became part of the fabric of the city. In my previous thread, didn't have any responses from San Jose or even elsewhere in the Bay Area (although San Francisco, the Pennisula, and East Bay are like different worlds- with there own unique scenes).

I'm interested in the historic aspects of drugs, especially the "hidden lives of drugs". This should be clear from many of my previous posts if one took the time to review.

An aside: With police stance towards prohibition. During the same time period, as I've stated in other threads another Police Chief during this period of time was Daryl Gates, police chief of LA. He went on record stating that drug users are traitors who should be shoot. You can imagine how he alocated his departement's resources.The LAPD was renouned for its brutality. LA was one of the most violent, least safe city at the time, shootings were common, the city even suffered a major riot. Down there, you could feel the paranoia in the air. So from the standpoint of harm reduction and public policy, whose approach seemed to work better.

So back to the rules- I'm not interested were to get it but whether or not an underground or above scene exists and an old school cadre of users still persist.

 

[MistaJeff]

In my experience the answer to your question is no. A scene does not persist. People in northern California do not seem to care about PCP. It's all about cannabis and methamphetamine up here.

 

[jspun]

skoat: Thanks for backing me up and the kind words. Thanks for the info your local scene. Mista Jeff actually, hispanics traditionally provided the core consumer base. There may be a lost subculture burried on the East Side or Alum Rock. In the 80s and early 90s it had spread out of the ghetto. The City has every drug available, sure its around, but heroin and cocaine/crack have always been the big drugs there in the ghetto. Tweak outside city. As you point out things change. Used to get dope in EPA too and coke. Tweak was around. I would not be shocked if there was a healthy amount of blast (PCP). Here in Southern CA its around alot but it is very much a young persons drug asociated with gangs. Usually a right of passage for buding ganstas in junior high as a dope fiend friend who came to San Diego to get clean has pointed out. Haven't heard much of a demand for sherms among people over 30.

 

[jspun]

Mista JeffSo the South Bay is tweaking. Gotta keep up with China and India. Don't want Bangalore to become the new Silicon Valley.

 

[shake]

it dont really matter if it was yesterday or 20 years ago, no prices no street names.other than that i like the direction this thread is going in, jspun has made a buncha post over in DC on background history of certain substances and i find them intresting to read. carry on

 

[thebay420]

I live in san jose and i havent heard anything about this scene.. bit its probably who you know. I definitely dont know that scene at all

 

[jspun]

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement shake. Couldn't find much contemporary stuff about phencyclidine in San Jose. Maybe the scene died out or went deep underground among older diehard users- akin to heroin in the early 80s. Here something from council on a drug free workplace:

Phencyclidine, more commonly known as PCP,Ê is illicitly marketed under a number of other names including Angel Dust, Supergrass, Killer Weed, Embalming Fluid, and Rocket Fuel, reflecting the range of its bizarre and volatile effects. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water. However, most PCP on the illicit market contains a number of contaminates as a result of makeshift manufacturing, causing the color to range from tan to brown, and the consistency from powder to a gummy mass. Although sold in tablets and capsules as well as in powder and liquid form, it is commonly applied to a leafy material, such as parsley, mint, oregano or marijuana, and smoked.

The drug's effects are as varied as its appearance. A moderate amount of PCP often causes the user to feel detached, distant and estranged from his surroundings. Numbness, slurred speech and loss of coordination may be accompanied by a sense of strength and invulnerability. A blank stare, rapid and involuntary eye movements, and an exaggerated gait are among the more observable effects. Auditory hallucinations, image distortion, severe mood disorders, and amnesia may also occur. In some users, PCP may cause acute anxiety and a feeling of impending doom, in others, paranoia and 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.

Modification of the manufacturing process may yield chemically related ananogues capable of producing psychic effects similar to PCP. Four of these substances (N-ethyl-l-phenylcyclohexylamine or PCE, l- (phenylcyclohexyl)-pyrrolidine or PCPy, l[l-(2-thienyl)-cyclohexyl]-piperdine or TCP, and l-[l-(2-thienyl) cyclohexyl] cyclohexyl] pyrrolidine or TCPy have been encountered on the illicit market and have been placed in Schedule I of the CSA.ÊÊ LSD is also a Schedule I hallucinogen

PCP
Effects
Like cocaine, PCP produces a profound sympathomimetic state with both dopamine and norepinephrine effects. Users, report excitement, euphoria & often a mild hallucinatory state. Older docs can compare it to "Ketamine," the 1967 drug for I.M. anesthesia. Ketamine had short popularity because, like PCP, it was unpredictable and caused wierd post-use phenomena -- including psychosis.
Incidence of Abuse
Use tends to be "regional." (Mostly D.C. & San Fran/San Jose Area) Most places, PCP use is quite rare!... But it is definitely spreading! Chemical Name
Phencyclidine, "PCP." PCP is chemically very similar to "Ketamine".
Forms and Street Names
Angel dust, Hog, Peace Pill, Water
Ketamine (still available as veternary anesthetic) has nickname "Special K." Ketamine abuse is probably much more widespread than PCP abuse.
Preferred routes of administration
Most often smoked -- often with Marijuana. Also used I.V., sub-q, and nasally (snorted.)
Length of time detectable after user
2 - 4 days. Elimination is pH dependent. ACIDIC URINE ENHANCES EXCRETION!
CAUTION:
Acidification will "backfire" on donor because it increases urinary concentration!
Do not acidify urine during intoxication because this can exacerbate myoglobinuric renal failure secondary to rhabdomyolysis!
[EMERGENCY MEDICINE, JULY 1995]
Metabolite Actually sought in urine

10% of parent PCP is excreted unchanged. The remainder is hydroxylate or glucuronide. Screening and gc/ms are sensitive to PCP and metabolites!
Confounding drugs (or factors):
None known!
Screening Cut-off:
25 ng/ml
Confirmation GC/MS Cut-off:
25 ng/ml
Facts for Verifying M.R.O

The claim of medicinal or innocent use is spurious! There is NO LEGITIMATE USE

http://www.drugfreeworkplace.com/drugsofabuse/pcp.htm

Probably kinda dated.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Xv...se pHENCYCLIDINE capital of the world&f=false

Above link is to a google books article. Couldn't figure out how to cut and paste pages from google books link called synthetic panicks. Outlines the San jose PCP capitol phase and the scare the drugs caused in the 70s and 80s especially.

In 1989, I remember that they were saying that certain ethnic groups were associated with certain drugs in the bay area. Whites were associated with increased use of speed and coke, blacks with crack, hispanics with PCP, inhalants, and heroin .What was interesting enough, is that barbituates and other sedatives were big among the asian scene of that time. With heroin, they mentioned that there was a hardcore group of core users of various ethnicities that used it in some of the most hardcore neighborhoods and ghettos in the Bay Area like the tenderloin (SF), East Palo Alto, Downtown Oakland (East Oaktown was all crack, I think), Richmond. In the City (of San Francisco), there was a corner near a BAART station that was known for the brazen, open air sale of drugs. The black guys and a few old school white junkies sold points and took you to the Mexican connect down the street. They would have ballons of white or black, you would walk down the street with them or lean against a wall, and the transaction would take place. That place was 24/7. By the way, near the building were the United Nations Accord was signed- UN plaza, there was usually a diverse group of hardcore drug users to this day, many homeless. The diplomats, staffs, ect... that make up the UNODCP that are against including harm reduction provisions in international drug policy plans should spend half an hour down there. Wish they would have kept the UN in San Francisco (I believe that was the original plan). It is a cosmopolitan city that is at the crossroads of the East and Western Worlds. And I think it is a more beautiful city than Manhattan (but I'm biased).

 

[jspun]

Another tinny history lesson on the bay area scene. When the Dead went on tour, there was always a big open drug scene in the parking lot and they played the Bay Area often being from there. Psychedelics, nitrous ballons, hash, opium, rarer drugs, and lots of LSD. There was a core group of people that would go on tour and follow them from town to town (the family). Harder core and more esoteric drugs like heroin, PCP, and sometimes stimulants like coke and meth. It was from the parking lot of the Oakland New Years shows on dec 28th or 29th that I scored MDMA from the first time along with 10 hits of acid and a quater oz of shrooms. The guy that hooked me up said he had to leave with the money and would be back in 30 minutes (usually famous last words before you get punked.) Even as a 16 year old back then (in 88') I new that fronting money to someone you don't know was a bad idea. But I really wanted to try this drug I read about as an 8th grader in 85'- when they outlawed the drug in the US. He told me it was real MDMA- said he new the chemist in Berkley (about 15 minutes/ 20 minutes away.) Left me with his 2 friends, one a cool quite hippy, the other a talkative character. That latter said he loved mixing X with crank. As he would put it, "I snort the X for the exctacy, then 15 minutes latter I snort the crank for the intensity." Suprisingly, the guy showed up an hour later with the E- it was a quater gram of powder, molly, but we didn't call it that back then. Didn't even call it E, just X, and the term rolling hadn't made it into the vocabulary yet. New Years Eve did X for the first time. Having done the drug multiple time since I would say it was the the right drug- had the distinctive taste of an MDXX.

Back then, on the psychedelic front, the Haight, Berkley, and Santa Cruz were swimming in psychedelics. I won't name prices, but in the haight, you could score sheets (100 hits) of acid for the price I've heard people pay for a hit in some places.

Santa Cruz was the place that we would make trips to in the mid to late 90s to hook up buds, shrooms, or acid, if our normal connections were out. Without being specific, there was a park in Santa Cruz on a river that had a huge outdoor psychedelic scene in 85'-86'. The irony was that it was right across from the county courthouse and sheriff headquarters. The cops left the place alone for a couple of years with the occasional sweep but by 87', closed it down. The hippies moved downtown. The loma prieta earthquake in fall of 89' devastated the place "the mall"- a street with beautiful victorian buildings converted to cool shops. In the 90s and 00s the rebuilding left chain stores like Gap and Barnes and Noble so the ambience of the place was lost. Still see the occasional hippie hanging out. The flats, the ghetto in Santa Cruz, were the place to hook up drugs like heroin, coke, and probably PCP. In Erowid there is (or was) a trip report about PCP that took place in Santa Cruz on erowid.

But it would appear from what I've read on bluelight, that LA, Houston, and parts of the Northeast are the wetest parts of this country these days, El Nino notwithstanding.

 

[We are all ONE]

oh man , this brings back some memories.

OP speaks the truth - I grew up in South San Jo. To answer your original question - the PCP scene is minimal as that 'crowd' is all on Yank

- them damn blue collar tweakers are the backbone of this town

 

[stirfry]

Interesting thread. It's cool to hear some stories about what the drug scene around here was like from someone who experienced it firsthand. Keep the stories coming!

Santa Cruz was the place that we would make trips to in the mid to late 90s to hook up buds, shrooms, or acid, if our normal connections were out.

I lived in Santa Cruz for about 6 years, and just recently moved out (not to far away though, still go there frequently). Santa Cruz does have a thriving drug scene for a relatively small town/city.

Marijuana is huge in SC. Most all of the young people there smoke it, and the people who don't smoke it are pretty tolerant of it. Many people in the area grow, and it's pretty easy to find hookups for quality buds. I love being able to smoke pretty openly in public, not many towns are like that.

Santa Cruz is also a good town for psychedelics. These are most popular amongst teenagers, college students and 20-somethings of the hippy-ish or bohemian variety. Burning man, music festivals and raves all are popular pastimes for Santa Cruzers. LSD, MDxx and 'shrooms are always around, and sometimes you can find more obscure psyches such as DMT, mescaline, 2C-x etc.

There are also a huge number of tweekers, and other hard drug users, in Santa Cruz too. Methamphetamine is definitely the addicts choice, but (crack) cocaine, heroin and prescription pills all have their devotees here as well.

Without being specific, there was a park in Santa Cruz on a river that had a huge outdoor psychedelic scene in 85'-86'. The irony was that it was right across from the county courthouse and sheriff headquarters. The cops left the place alone for a couple of years with the occasional sweep but by 87', closed it down.

I know the park you are talking about. There is still an open air drug market there, you just have to ask around the shady characters that hang out (live?) there. All I've ever encountered there is methamphetamine and weed though.

The hippies moved downtown. The loma prieta earthquake in fall of 89' devastated the place "the mall"- a street with beautiful victorian buildings converted to cool shops. In the 90s and 00s the rebuilding left chain stores like Gap and Barnes and Noble so the ambience of the place was lost. Still see the occasional hippie hanging out.

Ya, the downtown "mall" is pretty commercial and money oriented. There is a strong police presence there keep the bums in check so tourists and shoppers feel comfortable going there and spending. It's still a popular place to hang out and socialize with random peeps though. During the tourist season, there's people who walk around trying to sell weed by just blurting out "buds" or "nugs" to random people walking by.

The flats, the ghetto in Santa Cruz, were the place to hook up drugs like heroin, coke, and probably PCP. In Erowid there is (or was) a trip report about PCP that took place in Santa Cruz on erowid.

That is indeed the neighborhood for such things. Prostitution is also prevalent there and overlaps with the drug scene. There's plenty of drug addled bums wandering around more than willing to help you find these things (so they can take their slice of course, or just rip you off maybe). Crime is pretty high there though. There is a definite gang presence, addicts committing burglary and other petty crimes to feed their habit and violence does occur sometimes. Not too long ago, a person I went to high school with was murdered there (by a disgruntled ex lover).

Thanks for sharing, hope you found this long ass post interesting.

 

[stirfry]

p.s.

I never encountered PCP in Santa Cruz by the way. You'd be more likely to come across Ketamine from the psychedelic/festie/rave type people. I'm a Monterey Bay area native, and the only place PCP seems to be available with any regularity is Seaside, on the south side of the bay.

 

[Cid Jester]

^^ read the above post after my original one. But you fosho know the santa cruz scene. Never once came across PCP but everything else that was listed was always in a over abundance. I remember just walking down the ave and having a 10 strip put on my tounge just because. I miss santa cruz with all my heart. 831.

.

Santa Cruz was the place that we would make trips to in the mid to late 90s to hook up buds, shrooms, or acid, if our normal connections were out. Without being specific, there was a park in Santa Cruz on a river that had a huge outdoor psychedelic scene in 85'-86'. The irony was that it was right across from the county courthouse and sheriff headquarters. The cops left the place alone for a couple of years with the occasional sweep but by 87', closed it down. The hippies moved downtown. The loma prieta earthquake in fall of 89' devastated the place "the mall"- a street with beautiful victorian buildings converted to cool shops. In the 90s and 00s the rebuilding left chain stores like Gap and Barnes and Noble so the ambience of the place was lost. Still see the occasional hippie hanging out. The flats, the ghetto in Santa Cruz, were the place to hook up drugs like heroin, coke, and probably PCP. In Erowid there is (or was) a trip report about PCP that took place in Santa Cruz on erowid.

I spent a couple years in Santa Cruz 2007-2009 and from what I was apart of in the hippie drug culture downtown was the place to be but from what I hear from buddies back home the cops are cracking down. (not letting dogs or smoking on the ave) The hippies have moved down the street to a chruch where they wont be bothered. <snip> is still the place to get H or crack just like im sue it always will be. As for the acid just ask any mother fucker withn a dread inhis hair. As for that park by the court house I know what you mean and for the most part it is a dead scene.

 

[jspun]

a Monterey Bay area native, and the only place PCP seems to be available with any regularity is Seaside, on the south side of the bay.

Seaside has had a hard drug scene from way back, though all the methadone clinics are in Salinas. Thanks, Cid J, stirfry, and my homie from South San Jose, We Are All One for your input and what the scene is like now a days. There might not be as much lenios around in the valley-sounds like all the people that used to smoke blast are all tweekin, but it nice to know that the high tech yuppies didn't completely fuck up the scene in Santa Cruz. My only complaint with that beautiful city is that it could do with alittle less hate, otherwise it is a very diverse and cosmopolitan place for such a small size. Above all its nice to hear from comrades from our states better half on what the scene's like nowadays and to reminence about the past for posterities' sake.%)

 

[AlmostFamous]

Great post.

 

[jspun]

Santa Cruz has always had a kind of magic, a sort of energy. It was ha ceneter of the counterculture scene since the 60s. Its a very specialplace unfortunately ruined by to much hate and bad vibes among certain locals- in all fairness, disproportionally so among the surf community. You can see were there comming from- Santa Cruz in general is no joke, not a place to learn aby disrespectal valleys. In a ll faireness, during the summer it sucks to be invaded by valleys during the weekends. I lived there for 4 months during the summer of 1990.

In was a big center of the counterculture: hippies, deadheads, punk rockers, dreads, artists, Northern California surfers in there flanels and beenies, a few death metalers, large homeless population replete with a hispanic ghetto near the boardwalk all in the 80s. Towards the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s the rave scene took hold. It evolved along different lives. Electronica (and disco) started in Chicago, Deteroit, and New York. It crossed the Atlantic and was assimilated in places like Ibiza, then London, then Manchester, and back to the continent were the fall of the Iron curtain and scene in places like Berlin and techno lead to a new counterculture whiched crossed the atlantic. The Rave scene took hold in 2 major cities at first. New yorkin the late 80s where it spread to places like LA and then San Diego, ect... and San Francisco, which already had somewhat of an underground house scene and was a center of hippie counterculture. It is here were the vibe was more hippie like, a marriage between the rave scene harkening to the Acid tests of Ken Kesey days.

Toons Town in the city, and the full moon rave in Boney Doon, a secluded and trippy beach like 5 miles North of Santa Cruz, isolated were epic in the early 90s. I was indoctrinated in the Rave scene in San diego which had a different vibe and burned out much faster in my opinion. But the beginnning was magic- like we discovered a new movement that would change the world- I was a 20 year old idealistic surfing hippie that like my regae, punk, and old school death metal.

FYI: The Bay Area was the place to be for Thrash- Death Metal while the music was still somewhat underground. You had a great scene in the East Bay in particular: Death Angel, Metalica (not really death metal)- Rock on Broadway, Exodus, Possessed, the list goes on. Europe, particularly West Berlin, the German band Destruction, Sodom, Voi Vod (montreal), Merciful Fate (Copehagen), Venom (UK), were still underground among many others.

Now I'm way off track.

Anyway was trying to find the erowod article related to pcp in Santa Cruz but can't find it.

The loma prieta earthquake in fall of 89' devastated the place

anyone feel that earthquake today in San Diego ? (I was on the 3 rd floor of a hospital)- wierd feeling the building sway.

 

[Swizol1]

mods Are Bogus!!!! he's talkin about the 80's and 90's......Prices and Locations really matter.........

and to the poster who said it sound like sourcing.....STFU maggot