Houston is the largest metro area with significant PCP problem, report says

Two people died in a crash involving a driver who was allegedly under the influence of PCP along the U.S. 59 service road at Kirby Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, in southwest Houston. Research found traces of PCP in 615 blood samples taken during DWI arrests between 2013 and 2018. less Two people died in a crash involving a driver who was allegedly under the influence of PCP along the U.S. 59 service road at Kirby Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, in southwest Houston. Research found traces of PCP in ... more Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Houston is the largest metro area with significant PCP problem, report says 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Amid a city with already troubled roads, PCP-impaired motorists are getting behind the wheel in Houston, making it the largest metro area in the nation to have a significant problem with the hallucinogen, according to a study released Wednesday.

The research found traces of PCP — formally known as Phencyclidine but also angel dust — in 615 blood samples taken during DWI arrests between 2013 and 2018, with the typical user being black men in their 30s.

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The study was conducted by the Houston Forensic Science Center with hopes of reducing PCP-impaired driving in Houston. Cases not related to driving while under the influence were removed from the study.

The drug is associated with hallucinogenic and, at times, violent behavior. According to researchers, users dip cigarettes or joints into a PCP solution.

Researchers plan to elaborate on their PCP findings at a news conference on Wednesday morning.

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PCP is what authorities say Gregory Allen Smith admitted to using prior to a Feb. 5 crash that killed three members of a family, including a 3-month-old baby. He tested positive for the drug in April 2019 after another crash that led to his first DWI arrest.

Smith, now charged with three counts of intoxication manslaughter, is slated Friday to appear in court. By then, investigators hope to have pieced together what he was doing 24 hours before the fatal wreck.

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