"Crack" (an extra potent form of cocaine) abuse: a problem of the eighties.

"Crack," an extra potent form of purified cocaine, is being abused today across the United States. The drug is no longer confined to the inner city. Its presence is ubiquitous in the middle class. "Crack" users can become dangerous to themselves and to others, even to the extent of committing murder. Cardiac irritability and hypertension are among the associated severe problems of "crack" abuse. The toxicity of cocaine is therefore a major problem. It is imperative that all practitioners become aware of the signs and symptoms of cocaine toxicity and its management. This awareness can help to avoid or alleviate a crisis in the clinic or office.

Phencyclidine (PCP) abuse. A close-up look at a growing problem.

PCP or "angel dust" is a dissociative anesthetic agent with notoriety as an abuse substance. Numerous members of many subcultures are frequent users of this drug. It is well known in California's psychedelia, along the East Coast, and in the middle- and working-class suburbs of the Midwest. It is important that practitioners become acquainted with the drug and its effects. Persons intoxicated with PCP have murdered their own children and have even jumped out of high-rise apartment buildings. States of florid psychosis lasting for days can follow a brief encounter with PCP. Inadvertent administration of narcotics and barbiturates to patients with acute PCP intoxication can lead to a crisis that could prove to be fatal.