In late September Middlebury Connecticut authorities were forced to call a mass casualty event in response to multiple drug overdoses during a local concert. Seven people were treated, with four requiring hospitalization. One male victim required CPR and the use of a defibrillator at the scene. The drug that was ingested was a little known hallucinogenic 2C-P.
2C-P is a synthetic hallucinogen whose manufacture sale and possession of was made illegal as a schedule 1 substance in 2012. First discovered in 1974 it has only been in the last three years that the use of this powerful drug has sky rocketed.
The drug is usually ingested orally, but sometimes snorted. The effects of 2C-P include open and closed eye hallucinations, auditory distortion and hallucinations, confusion, overwhelming visual disturbances, paranoia and anxiety. These typical effects of a psychedelic are magnified as 2C-is considered the strongest compound in its class. The psychedelic effects are not only intense but also long lasting; with a duration of 15 to 20 hours being typical.
The physical effects of 2C-P include motor impairment, vasoconstriction, elevation in blood pressure as well as tachycardia, a rapid pulse exceeding 100 beats per minute. The physical dangers of 2C-P are dramatically increased because of two interlinked characteristics of the compound.
The dose to effect ratio of 2C-P is very narrow, in other words the effects of ingesting six milligrams of the drug are far more intense than ingesting just 5mg. Additionally 2C-P takes an extremely long time to act, often up to five hours. The combination of these two factors makes overdoses not only more likely but far more life threatening.
As a research drug 2C-P has no clinical history and no legitimate medical use. The long term effects of its use are unknown, but it is clear to see from anecdotal evidence that this new and powerful hallucinogenic can take a serious toll on both the physical and psychological health of those that choose to use it.