Written by: Ahsan Riaz
Reviewed by: Dr. Diana Rangaves, PharmD, RPh — Pharmacist, Medical Writer, and Author

When you walk down a street and see people smoking marijuana joints or cigarettes, it may look harmless, but some of these are Sherm, a hallucinogenic substance dipped in phencyclidine (PCP) or embalming fluid. Many users think it only gives a short-term high with euphoric sensations, but the side effects are horrific and dangerous. Reports from treatment centers and harm-reduction experts show how this addictive drug can quickly damage a person’s mental and physical health, putting the mind and body in mortal peril. People often believe it’s relatively harmless, but even a small dose can create intense hallucinations, dissociation, aggression, and long-term brain damage.

Sherm sticks are especially troubling because they are cigarettes or joints dipped in PCP or fluid, designed to give temporary highs. The unpredictable, intense, and deeply destructive effects affect both mind and body, and the risks often far outweigh the benefits. The slang names like wet, fry, or dipstick may glamorize it in street culture, but the consequences are devastating. Professional treatment and recovery are essential if you want to protect yourself or a loved one, and anyone familiar with the term should examine the detail, making the first step toward safety. Typically, referring to its market presence, this deceptive drug remains dangerous for both public and individuals alike.

What Is The Drug Sherm?

Sherm is a street-level drug often discussed in youth and urban communities. Many people do not realize that this term refers to a cigarette or marijuana joint dipped in phencyclidine (PCP) or similar toxic substances. Other slang names include illy, fry, or wet. PCP is a dissociative hallucinogen and a Schedule II Controlled Substance, which can trigger hallucinations, paranoia, aggression, and dissociation.
“Sherm sticks” may also contain other toxic chemicals, similar to substances used in embalming fluid. Even occasional use can lead to harmful effects on both mental and physical health, and repeated exposure increases the risk of dependency and other serious complications.

Explaining the Meaning of Sherm

When I talk about sherm, I often refer to a marijuana joint or cigarette dipped in a liquid like PCP or phencyclidine, and sometimes even embalming fluid, a mix that was first documented in the U.S. in the 1970s and still continues on the street today as a street-level drug. Many teenagers experiment with these substances without realizing how unpredictable and harmful the effects can be, not realizing how dangerous and unpredictable the effects can be on the brain and body, especially since this hallucinogen is deeply dissociative and often leads to addiction, dependence, and long-term psychological harm. What people call simple slang hides real risks, and even in the mildest cases, these drugs poses damage that may develop quickly, Use of cigarettes soaked in PCP or similar substances can lead to patterns of harmful behavior and requires professional intervention.

Street Names for Sherm

• PCP-dipped cigarettes are known by various street names, which can vary by region.
• In the Southern U.S. and Texas, people often mention Fry or a Fry stick when talking about these drugs.
• Others talk about a Sherm stick, a Dipstick, or a laced cigarette or soaked cigarette already dipped in liquid PCP or a PCP solution that can look like Water in its liquid form.
• Some lean on urban slang like Illy, Leak, Amp, or the almost joking ironic term Happy stick.
• The disorienting high from PCP can cause erratic and sometimes aggressive behavior.
• These names shift depending on who’s talking, and the variations show up whether someone mentions joints, a single joint, or anything dripping, and all of it can leave a person feeling pretty ill.

How Sherm Is Made

Sherm is created by soaking a cigarette or marijuana joint in liquid PCP or a similar dissociative substance, or phencyclidine, a dissociative hallucinogen classified as a Schedule II controlled substance, and the way they described the ingredients worried me because the liquid form of PCP added to a cigarette or marijuana joint—any type of traditional cigarette from different brands of cigarettes—creates dangers that feel completely unpredictable, especially when someone tries to make or talk about any form involving PCP, soaking a cigarette or joint in a liquid form of phencyclidine that gets used in the same conversations as angel dust, another street way of referring to the same drug; PCP can also appear in powdered or crystallized forms, which are sometimes ingested, snorted, or smoked, each method carrying serious risks and each version shows how risky these choices can get without ever needing to describe the process itself.

How PCP Affects the Brain

PCP is a synthetic substance that can act as a sedative, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogen. It attaches to NMDA receptors, proteins on the surface of the brain that receive chemical signals. Glutamate, an amino acid, helps you think, learn, understand, and regulate emotions. When PCP interferes with these signals, your functioning becomes disrupted, and your states of consciousness change. Users may feel dissociated, removed from thoughts, emotions, or personal identities, making it difficult to perceive reality.

History and Medical Use

In the 1950s, chemist Victor Maddox developed and synthesized PCP, initially called Sernyl, as a surgical anesthetic. It was sold by Parke-Davis, a Pfizer subsidiary, after clinical trials in 1957. Early patients showed promise, but doctors soon noticed fearsome side effects like hallucinations, erratic behavior, and mind-altering effects. By 1965, its usage declined, but it resurfaced on the street, often targeting teenagers and young adults seeking an intense high under names like angel dust.

Street Use and Modern Risks

During the 1970s and 1980s, PCP gained popularity, later overshadowed by crack cocaine. Even during the Covid pandemic, misuse continued. Effects can include impeded thinking, disrupted learning, emotional instability, hallucinations, and feeling completely dissociated. Combining PCP with embalming fluid worsens outcomes, causing damage to lungs, heart, and overall functioning. The hallucinatory effects are extreme, altering states of consciousness and leaving lasting consequences.

Is PCP Really Embalming Fluid?

Many people think PCP and embalming fluid are the same, but that’s a misnomer. Sherm or Sherm stick often involves a combination of PCP with other toxic substances, and the liquid can have a pungent smell reminiscent of formaldehyde. While glutaraldehyde, methanol, and formaldehyde are common in actual embalming fluid, PCP was originally developed as a surgical anesthetic but is no longer used in medical practice due to serious side effects. The idea that Sherm is literal embalming fluid stems from how familiar the smell can seem. People ingesting this mixture face dangerous effects, including irritating eyes, throat, respiratory difficulties, and low oxygen, which can quickly escalate to organ failure or vision loss.

Using Sherm is highly hazardous because its addictive properties create dependency, even after short-term use. Smoking or using the mixture can amplify severe health complications, including metabolic acidosis, alcohol poisoning, long-term damage to the brain, liver, and lungs, and increases the likelihood of fatal outcomes or overdose. The unpredictable effects of Sherm stick can cause violent behavior, health crises, and a spiral from a brief high into lasting addiction. Even though the actual substance is not pure embalming fluid, its combination with PCP makes it one of the most dangerous substances encountered on the street.

Sherm: The Combination of Marijuana and PCP

Sherm is made by dipping a marijuana cigarette in liquified PCP or powdered form, which must be dissolved in a chemical solvent like embalming fluid, a chemical mixture used in funeral homes to slow decomposing of a corpse and keep the body preserved until the wake or funeral; Some people mistakenly link the word Sherm to the Nat Sherman cigarette brand, but the term in drug culture has no proven historical connection. In street use, Sherm’ simply refers to a cigarette or joint dipped in PCP or a similar toxic liquid, and now any person using a Sherm stick faces severe health risks, fatal outcomes, and addiction because the combination of PCP and embalming fluid amplifies toxic effects, making it unpredictable and extremely hazardous.

How to Spot Sherm Use

Signs of Sherm use include behavioral changes such as disorientation, hallucinations, slowed movements, and unusual aggression like disorientation, strange behavior, paranoid thoughts, psychological symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, seeing things, hearing things that are not really there, slowed movements, trouble walking, loss of coordination, slurred speech, no response to pain, or even hurt themselves by accident. Emotional cues include emotional instability, mood swings, trouble regulating emotions, and being in a dream-like state or trance, while unusually aggressive or violent behavior, risky behavior, detachment from reality, zombie-like movements, blank expression, dilated pupils, sweating, and speaking to no one because of a hallucination or seeing someone not really there are all clear visual signs that someone is under the influence of Sherm.

Recognizing Symptoms of Sherm Use

PCP use can result in physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms including glassy eyes, slurred speech, hallucinations, and paranoia. You might notice Glassy eyes, dilated eyes, slurred speech, Loss of coordination, Seizures, Shallow breathing, flushed skin, Excessive sweating, Vomiting, and Jerky movement. Mentally, Hallucinations, Paranoia, Delusions, Psychosis, Mood Swings, and Memory loss are common. Behaviorally, Unusual aggression, violent behavior, Erratic behavior, Not showing a reaction to pain, and acting recklessly can appear. These symptoms can vary person to person, depending on dose strength, individual personal tolerance, and whether it was taken alongside alcohol or other drugs, as well as the state of mind during Sherm use. Sometimes these signs mimic schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or even stroke, which can lead to being misdiagnosed, increasing the risk of not being treated as necessary.

Dangerous Effects of Sherm Use

PCP use can rapidly affect physical, mental, and emotional states, causing paranoia, anxiety, agitation, and unpredictable behavior—physically, mentally, and emotionally. The adverse effects hit fast: Paranoia, Anxiety, Intense fear, distrust, Agitation, or violent behavior. Reactions are Unpredictable, ranging from aggressive behavior to outright violence. Numbness, Loss of coordination, and Difficulty speaking make even simple actions impossible. High doses of PCP can trigger psychological effects that resemble symptoms of schizophrenia, including delusions and paranoia.

Long-Term Consequences

With repeated usage, tolerance builds, and users crave more PCP. The drug can alter brain chemistry, leading to severe consequences like Psychosis, schizophrenia-like symptoms, Memory loss, Intense cravings, and Diminished ability to concentrate. Impaired judgment, Drug usage flashbacks, Physical addiction, and Psychological dependence accumulate, while the Increased risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders fuels Overthinking. Overdose risks spike, as drug toxicity can overwhelm the body, causing Seizures, Comas, Respiratory failure, Kidney failure, Severe headaches, Irregular heartbeat, Cardiac arrest, or Death.

Psychoactive Effects and Physical Damage

Even short-term exposure produces intense, unique psychoactive effects, acting as a depressant on the central nervous system while also showing stimulant-like effects. Agitation, paranoia, and a dissociative anesthetic effect separate the user from surroundings, pain, and their sense of self, causing Euphoria, a floating sensation, Distorted perception of time and space, Numbness, Loss of coordination, Aggressive behavior, and violent behavior. Users can appear catatonic, zombie-like, hyper-agitated, or irrational, experiencing hallucinations, confusion, Detachment from reality, Slurred speech, blank stares, and Insensitivity to pain, which may lead to self-injury. Chronic use can bring Persistent anxiety, paranoia, delusions, Memory loss, cognitive impairment, Depression, mood instability, psychotic episodes, Brain damage, neurotoxicity, Physical dependence, withdrawal symptoms, Accidental injury, legal trouble, potential cognitive impairment, mood instability, and long-term psychological effects.

Staying Informed as a Parent

As a parent, understanding sherm and its effects is crucial because adolescents can be exposed to terms and behaviors that may confuse adults. Being able to detect warning signs like sudden mood changes, unexplained aggression, secrecy around smoking, or unusual physical symptoms such as dizziness and disorientation can help you respond quickly. Even subtle shifts in behavior may indicate substance exposure, and being informed allows you to approach these moments with clarity and purpose.

Staying informed also empowers parents to have nonjudgmental, firm conversations with their child about substance use. Providing factual information rather than general warnings and explaining what this slang term means and why it is dangerous can have a stronger influence than simply telling them to avoid drugs. Awareness helps you connect your children with the right professional resources before curiosity or experimentation turns into dependency.

Supporting Adolescents and Treatment

When a parent notices a child experimenting, a calm dialogue can uncover what’s really going on. Adolescents using PCP may benefit from professional support, counseling, and structured treatment programs tailored to their needs. Even though there’s no FDA-approved medication for sherm stick addiction, behavioral therapies like CBT help teens uncover triggers, strengthen coping strategies, and build healthier coping mechanisms. Some join support groups or connect with community networks for steady emotional support. Each step can support recovery and long-term success.

Conclusion

Addiction to substances like PCP can have severe physical and psychological consequences. Early intervention and professional treatment can reduce risks and support recovery. Awareness and education are essential to prevent harm and support those affected

References

• Clinical and Pharmacological Overview of Phencyclidine Intoxication and Its Harmful Effects – PMC
• PCP Quick Facts
• New Developments in the Phencyclidine-Based Model of Schizophrenia – PubMed
• NIH: Young Men Face the Highest Schizophrenia Risk When Linked to Cannabis Use Disorder
• Phencyclidine Toxicity: A Comprehensive Review – Stat Pearls, NCBI Bookshelf