It goes by many names: fry, wet, wet sticks, amps, sherms, happy sticks, fried, dust, and illy to name a few. (In rough inner cities and upscale suburbs, dealers pitch in as the new drug –a potent combination of embalming fluid, tobacco, marijuana and mint leaves.) Occasionally the joints are laced with PCP (Phencyclidine) as well. Users often drift in and out of “highs” (usually last between 30-60 minutes, but there have been reports of “trips” that have lasted up to 5 hours) from frenzied fits of anger to a catatonic state. Doctors say a troop of security guards is often needed to subdue those in “illy rage” --yelling, paranoia and hallucinating users who vehemently fight off any attempts to diagnose, treat or reason with them. Experts say PCP interferes with the mechanism in the brain that otherwise keeps a person from going beyond his or her breaking point, and that regular use can lead to chronic schizophrenia. Whatever they are taught during long stints in rehabilitation centers, however long they’re technically “straight,” many users find it difficult to resist the temptation to start smoking up again once they return home. The scary thing with the use of “wets” is that users usually don’t know exactly what they are consuming. This may account for a variety of unanticipated or unusual symptoms experienced when using “wets.”
