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Substance D (also called '''Death''', '''Slow Death''', '''D''') is a fictional Recreational Drug used by characters in the Philip K. Dick novel, '' A Scanner Darkly ''. COMPOSITION OF SUBSTANCE D Not much is said about the drug's chemical makeup, except that it is Synthesised in a laboratory in an unknown location. It can be cut with Meth , Cocaine , or seemingly any Stimulant drug. PG.32 , PG.31 EFFECTS OF SUBSTANCE D If taken in large enough amounts (and in a high enough frequency) Substance D can cause (hence its Street Name ). PG.1 , PG.65 It is implied multiple times in Dick's , indicating that Substance D is ''not'' a stimulant. As is shown in the novel when Freck's ability to operate a car properly was hindered, Substance D apparently also impairs one's judgement (much like Grain Alcohol ). PG.10 , PG.9 All throughout the novel, it is shown that long-term use of Substance D causes the two Cerebral Hemisphere s of the Brain to separate. "Death" also inhibits the ability of the two halves of the brain to 'communicate' with each other. This splitting of the brain (literally, right down the middle) ultimately causes a form of drug-induced Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). The main character in the novel, Robert Arctor (''played by Keanu Reeves in the 2006 film''), had his mind divided into one side that became "Bob Arctor" and the other side that became '''Fred''' (his Identity as an undercover Narc in the Anaheim Police Force). PEOPLE WHO USE SUBSTANCE D Those who regularly use Substance D (which appears to be most of Anaheim, California ) are referred to as ''heads''. Those who don't, the users and addicts call ''straights''. PG.9 , PG10 , PG.12 Philip K. Dick seems to separate the "straights" from the "heads," but makes it very nebulous as to who is dealing the drug. According to the novel's assertion of it, the straights don't use Substance D, but may deal it, and the heads don't usually deal, but they do use it (and buy from other heads or even straights). THE LEGALITY OF SUBSTANCE D Substance D is illegal for anyone to have and/or sell, but not to produce. This is evidenced by the fact that the California Police will set up an Undercover Sting Operation to catch the dealers and those who possess it, but never go after the lab that manufactures it or the company that runs the lab. PG.49 Dick also mentions in ''A Scanner Darkly'' that the police don't often arrest "small-time local dealer such as Donna Hawthorne (''played by Winona Ryder in the 2006 Film ''). [CH.2; PG.31 However, despite all this, the police will "[hassle] such persons automatically." From the character of Charles Freck's view-point, California is a " Facist police state." PARALLELS TO REALITY In terms of it's effects on the human body, Substance D is alot like Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), based on how "death" Turns "three-quarters Of The Brain {Link without Title} Mush." Also, one could liken the "permanent Trip " of LSD to Jerry Fabin's psychotic episode (that ultimately cilminated in his own friends Committing him to '' New Path Clinic ''). Or, in the 2006 Film , Charles B. Freck's hallucination of "billions of Aphid s" invading his home. A special case could be Jim Barris (''played by Robert Downey, Jr. in the 2006 film'') who claims to have "advanced specialized electronic technical skills," but the exact origins of this knowledge are highly questionable, although several references are made to Barris acquiring this knowledge at the Library . Barris's brain does not appear to be as " Burnt Out " as the others, but he seems to have drugs on the "back of his mind," so to speak, for most of the time. This is evidenced when Barris uses a ''plethora'' of " Scientific " processes to extract a Gram of "pure Cocaine " from a Spray-can of '' Solarcaine ''™ (for 98 Cents ). FORMS IN WHICH SUBSTANCE D IS SOLD Substance D is sold in the following forms:
Substance D (in The Book ) is only bought over the phone (called "buy calls") by way of a Payphone , since the California Police bug everyone's phone lines. One would call their dealer to arrange a meeting-spot to buy the drug, but even the pay phones are Tapped . PG.33 In the film, Substance D is purchased in the same way, only with a Cellular Phone (since the film was set in the year 2013 ; the book was set in 1994 ). Cell-phone calls were monitored, so buyers kept their 'drug-talk' discrete. SEE ALSO
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