What this man did was wrong. There's no question about it.
If this man knowingly consumed PCP before this tragic incident occurred in which a child was reportedly raped, and another was murdered, then he should be held accountable for these actual crimes.
Yes, it can be argued that the PCP was the catalyst for the whole thing, but regardless, one kid is dead, another is scarred for life, and someone has got to be punished for it.
With that being said, I still believe PCP - like every other street drug - continues to be unfairly "demonized" by the media. Marijuana has become the exception, for the most part (thankfully), but that's neither here nor there.
The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of people who smoke PCP do not end up becoming irrationally violent and/or psychotic. And while these individuals may or may not be caught using this drug by law enforcement, the media will almost never bother to report that "A Man has been Caught Smoking PCP." And in contrast to this, they will almost always report whenever the consumption of the drug leads to the victimization of someone.
As a result, people who have never been around PCP may end up hearing and/or reading about such "illegal drug/PCP-induced" incidents from the mainstream media. And since it happens to be a Schedule I substance, such drug-related media publications typically end up profoundly influencing the views and opinions of a vulnerable mainstream society in this prolonged era of extremely biased propaganda.
Therefore, I firmly agree with other BLers that Phencyclidine - while a very potent and fickle intoxicant - is unfairly demonized by the media.
That being said, it does not mean that I view the drug as benign (low risk) in any way. On the contrary, it is - in my opinion - an especially powerful intoxicant which must be respected by anyone who uses, or is considering using any of it for recreational purposes. And since its unique pharmacodynamics includes (among other things) the antagonism of NMDA receptors; the inhibition of nACh receptors; the partial agonism of D2 receptors, and the indirect increase of dopamine and endorphin levels, "overdoing it" can certainly result in PCP Psychosis, memory loss, as well as a very potent analgesic effect.
On top of that, the unfortunately reality of the situation is that - like with all other (clandestinely manufactured) street drugs, the purity can fluctuate wildly, and, so too can the amount used by the same person.
My point being that it's not all that difficult for consumers of PCP to temporarily become someone who would be considered very unpredictable and extremely dangerous if approached.
It's one of those drugs which, even after having used it a few times, continues to scare the shit out of me - mainly because of what I've seen it do to others around me.
On the other hand, it is certainly possible to use it repeatedly without any psychotic episodes and/or loss of memory. It's actually the norm, believe it or not. The media makes it seem like it isn't, that's all.
Speaking of "believe it or not," I'm not trying to switch the discussion of PCP for another drug for the wrong reasons, but I feel it's the appropriate time to bring up another mind altering substance which has an infamous reputation for unpredictable and irrationally violent behavior while intoxicated. And that substance happens to be none other than ethyl alcohol.
I feel it's vitally important that everyone is aware of the consequences of clandestinely brewed booze for its end users, because chances are that "violent drunks" among us would regularly display a level of irrational violence and stupidity like never witnessed before with the consumption of regulated, always adulterant-free booze. And you can be damn sure that the media would have a field day with respect to publishing incident after incident of alcohol-fueled rape, murder, and so forth if it was also a Schedule I drug.
Luckily for fans of booze in general, it's celebrated by society as a near-harmless, fun time to be had as long as there is no drinking and driving. The unfortunate truth however is that the consumption of any amount of ethyl alcohol (e.g. one beer, one shot, half a glass of wine) is carcinogenic. Yeah... it's now classified as a Group 1 Carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Other examples of Group 1 Carcinogens include (but are not limited to) Arsenic, Asbestos, Formaldehyde, and Radioactive Isotopes.
Furthermore, the consumption of ethyl alcohol in amounts required to intoxicate the user has repeatedly been shown to be neurotoxic (kills brain cells), cardiotoxic (and heart cells), and hepatotoxic (and of course liver cells). Yet here we are, just about 15 years into the 21st Century, with nations around the world letting their citizens know of these risks in the form of a very vague, very two-faced warning: "Please drink responsibly." Gee, thanks for letting me know - in such useful detail - what I'm doing to my body by choosing to drink booze.
This world is so fucked up; so deceitful; so ruined because of human greed, lust, pride, and jealousy. Politicians cannot be trusted with anything anymore. Their bureaucratic lackeys are no better, and in many ways worse. The mainstream media spews out so much contradicting bullshit that people don't know what to believe anymore. Is it any wonder why ~60% of eligible American voters didn't bother voting a couple of weeks ago? Sure, some of them may not have had the time to do so, but I highly, highly doubt it was the main reason.
People are sick and tired of being sick and tired; and an increasing number of them are realizing their government doesn't give two shits about their well-being, and their quality of life. And what can be done when someone finds him or herself in such a predicament? Well... (s)he could always resort to recreational drug use - perhaps... PCP?
For the record, I am not defending what this man did at all. And I am not suggesting PCP is safe to use at all. Rather, I'm simply trying to explain that this unfortunate, tragic incident is either downplayed or demonized by mainstream media depending on which drug(s) the perpetrator had intoxicated himself or herself with. And for the longest time, it used to be able to heavily influence how mainstream society viewed a certain drug. Thankfully this is not the case anymore because more and more people are choosing to speak out - particularly in the past 5 years. And upon closer inspection, more and more hoodwinked individuals have realized they were taken for a fool by their political representatives. And to that I say, "hell, it's about damn time."
Okey dokey - I'm done talking now, sorry for too much bla bla bla.
I'll be here all week - try the meatloaf.
