PCP

Phencyclidine ­– better known by its street names of PCP, angel dust, mescaline, mess, horse, TH, peace pill, crazy eddie, rocket fuel, sherms/shermans, wack, crystal and embalming fluid – is a synthetic drug that was originally developed as an intravenous anesthetic medication in the 1950s. It is both a hallucinogen and a sedative/tranquillizer.

Its medical use has been discontinued because many patients became agitated, irrational or delusional after taking it. It is now only legitimately used to anesthetize and tranquillize large animals, or to bring about schizophrenia in research animals.

Users say it produces feelings of detachment and a sense of separation of mind from body. It may also distort your sense of sight and sound. In its pure form, PCP is a white, crystalline powder. It is often mixed with dyes and is sold as tablets or coloured powders.

There are a variety of ways to ingest it. The most common is administering the liquid form into something, such as a cigarette, joint or other leafy materials or herbs. The practice is known as embalming or “getting wet.” Other methods include:

• Popping a tablet in your mouth.
• Snorting the powder through your nose.
• Mix it with water and inject it.

The effects last four to six hours, depending on the amount.

You may know it better by its street names, which include angel dust, hog, ozone, rocket fuel, shermans, wack, crystal, embalming fluid, lovelies, wets and waters

PCP is listed under Schedule ICommonly characterized as “hard drugs" of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). Substances in Schedule I are subject to the most serious consequences under the Act. Under s.4(1) of the CDSA, it is an offence to possess any amount of PCP without lawful authorization. Because PCP is listed in Schedule I, the punishment is set by s. 4(3). possessionHaving knowledge and control of something — not only physically holding it, but also an item kept somewhere else that you know about and control. is a hybrid offenceAn offence the Crown can proceed with summarily or by indictment.: if prosecuted by indictment, it carries a maximum of seven years in prison; on summary conviction for a first offence, a fine of up to $1,000 or up to six months in jail, or both.

Producing PCP is a separate and more serious offenceAn indictable offence with a maximum punishment of five years or more. under s.7 of the CDSA. TraffickingInfluencing the movements of a person in order to exploit them in PCP, which includes selling, giving, or otherwise distributing it, is a separate offence under s.5. Both production and trafficking of a Schedule I substance carry a maximum of life imprisonment if prosecuted by indictment.

Ketamine is a substance related to PCP in its composition. The Code lists Ketamine as a Schedule I drug belonging to the PCP family, making it a banned substance in Canada. When prepared for medical use, it is a colourless, tasteless and odourless liquid that can be injected by veterinarians and doctors for medicinal purposes as an anesthetic.

Ketamine is being used to treat depression and mood disorders, this UC Health report (Ketamine Shows Promise as Therapy for Brain Trauma and Mood Disorders) states, adding that “The story of the NMDA antagonists is exciting, and we may be using more of these drugs therapeutically in the not-too-distant future.”

To find you guilty of possessing PCP, the Crown must establish beyond a reasonable doubtThe high standard the Crown must meet to prove guilt. that you were in possession of the drug. “Possession” is not just limited to the idea that the drug was found on your person or in your car or house. Instead, it means that you had some degree of control and knowledge of the drug. You can be found guilty of possession even if the PCP was found at someone else's house or in a friend’s gym bag.

The Crown must also prove that the substance is listed in the CDSA and that you knew what it was. The Crown does not have to prove that you knew the exact law. But if you genuinely did not know what the substance was, that may matter.

Our courts hand down the harshest sentences for those convicted of a crime involving Schedule I drugs, so you could be looking at jail time even on a first possession offence. When passing sentence, courts will look at how much you possessed and if there were any aggravating factorsA fact or circumstance that may support a more severe sentence. involved.

Section 4 (3) of the CDSA gives the Crown the discretion to treat your PCP charge as a summary convictionLess-serious criminal offences or indictable offenceA more serious type of Canadian criminal offence.. If it is your first offence and you are found guilty on summary conviction, you face a maximum fine of $1,000, imprisonment up to six months or both. For a subsequent offence, the maximum fine increases to $2,000 while the maximum imprisonment cannot exceed one year, or both.

If the Crown treats your possession charge as an indictable offence, the maximum prison term increases to seven years.

Simple possession of PCP is dealt with under s.4 of the CDSA. If you possessed PCP for the purpose of trafficking — a separate, more serious offence under s.5 of the CDSA — the maximum penalty is life imprisonment (an indictable offence only).

November 17, 2022
Update: Bill C-5: Mandatory Minimum Penalties Repealed.