Someone recently asked me if a marijuana joint with the street name of Black Weed contained only formaldehyde or if it got its heavier psychedelic effects from PCP. PCP is an abused dissociative anesthetic psychedelic drug chemically known as phencyclidine or by its more proper chemical name: phenylcyclohexyl piperidine. The question reminded me that the abuse of PCP never faded away. Its persistence continues because the drug has an ability to disguise itself as another more desirable drug. The other controversy posed by the question is whether marijuana when combined with just formaldehyde or with PCP or with embalming fluid or with any and all of these substances produces a more potent psychoactive effect than that obtained by smoking marijuana alone. These combinations have an infinite and continually evolving number of street names. Black Weed, yet another street name for this combination, has recently surfaced in Northern California. Past street names for these marijuana combinations include:
Wet, Wet-Wet, Wetdaddy, Dank, Dippers,Dips, Dipped Joint, Dip Sticks, Wicky, Wicky Stick, Sherm, Sherman, Fry, Fry Sweet, Fry Sticks, Frios, Amp, Clickum, Clickem, Clickers, Fly, Ill, Illy, Illie, Illing, Embalming Fluid, Crazy Eddie, Milk, Whack, Wac, Water, Water-Water, Purple Rain, Sheba, Takow, Happy Stick, Therm, Hydro, Loveboat, Boat, Donk, Ozone, Zoom, and now Black Weed 1, 2, 6
The process involves soaking a marijuana joint in formaldehyde or embalming fluid which may contain PCP until it is saturated with the solution. It is then allowed to dry just long enough so that the joint doesnt drip with fluid when touched. This usually results in darkening the color of the joint and giving it the appearance of being wet. 3
Users smoking these chemically treated joints report experiencing intense effects including body numbness, delusional thoughts and even full visual/auditory hallucinations. Paranoia, anger, agitation, and confusion are described as the negative experiences of smoking these marijuana combinations. 1, 4
The drug-taking subculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s attached a negative street connotation to the psychic effects of PCP abuse. It was viewed as a drug that induced violence and anti-social behavior and thus should be shunned by the peace and love generation of that era. 5
Rather than being quick to vanish from the streets because of its bad reputation, PCP has endured to the current day by disguising itself as another popular drug, pretending to be a new exotic drug of abuse, or by claiming to have exotic new psychoactive effects when combined with other drugs. It is probably the most misrepresented street drug in history. It was sold as THC, mescaline, psilocybin and even cocaine during its early years on the street.
Some have claimed that formaldehyde is only a corrosive toxin and does not contribute to intensifying the psychoactive effects of marijuana. However, users testify to the contrary saying that the formaldehyde causes a numbing effect and more psychedelic-like experiences when combined with marijuana. Both urine analysis of users and sample analysis of the material they smoked have been negative for PCP but positive for marijuana and formaldehyde and/or embalming fluid in some studies. Many other studies have indeed found PCP present in these soaked joints. Most investigators agree that embalming fluid does contain psychoactive chemicals other than formaldehyde (5% to 29% formaldehyde) that are capable of producing hallucinogenic effects. These include methanol, ethanol (9% to 56%), and a variety of other solvents. 1, 3
I have learned to listen more carefully to those who to actually participate in the drug culture than to those who monitoring it. Therefore, I believe that they do experience unique psychoactive effects from smoking a joint soaked only in formaldehyde. I have no doubt that they experience unique psychoactive effects when they smoke joints soaked in embalming fluid – with or without PCP. Because street names and street drug dealer practices are so unreliable, the only way to tell for sure if PCP is present in Black Weed is to have it chemically tested. Even this will not guarantee that what is sold on the street as Black Weed or any of the other soaked joint product will be consistent from week to week or from dealer to dealer.
Darryl S. Inaba, PharmD., CADC III
January 2009
References
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Embalming Fluid-Soaked Marijuana: New High or New Guise for PCP, http://www.inch.com/~jholland/julie/illie.htm accessed 1/30/09
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Smoking Sherm, Fry, Illy or Dank Are you smoking embalming fluid? http://hubpages.com/hub/smoking-Sherm–Fry –Illy-or-Dank—are-you smoking-embalming-fluid accessed 1/30/09
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Embalming Fluid, http://www.streetdrug.org/embalm.htm accessed 1/30/09
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PCP (Phencyclidine) Embalming Fluid and PCP, http://www.alb2c3.com/drugs/pcp6.htm accessed 1/30/09
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PCP (Phencyclidine) History and Information, http://www.alb2c3.com/drugs/pcp1.htm accessed 1/30/09
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“Fry: the new drug on the block (1988), Dis Prev News, Texas Dept of Health, 58(13):1-8.