Which of the following substances is considered a dissociative anesthetic?

A dissociative anesthetic is a type of drug that causes a sense of detachment from the environment and oneself, often leading to a feeling of disconnection or dissociation. PCP, or phencyclidine, falls into this category as it has powerful anesthetic properties and is known for its effects on perception, emotion, and response to pain.

The primary actions of PCP include inducing anesthesia and producing hallucinations, making it distinct from other substances that typically serve different medical or recreational purposes. Oxycodone (found in Oxycontin) is an opioid used for pain relief, heroin is also an opioid but is illegal and often associated with addiction rather than anesthetic properties, and aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used for pain relief and reducing inflammation, neither of which are classified as dissociative anesthetics. This makes PCP the only substance in the list that meets the criteria for being classified as a dissociative anesthetic.