Ketamine, also known as Jet, Super Acid, Special K, Green, K and cat valium, is a “club drug” which comes in a clear liquid and a white/off-white powder form (similar in appearance to cocaine). Ketamine is a tranquilizer, most commonly used on animals that can be injected, consumed in drinks, or added to smoking materials. Ketamine is very popular among teens and young people at dance clubs and raves. Prices average $20-$25 per dosage unit.Ketamine is a dissociative general anesthetic for human and veterinary use. The only known source of Ketamine is via diversion of pharmaceutical products. Many recent press reports indicate that a large number of veterinary clinics are being robbed, specifically for their Ketamine stock. Drug Enforcement Agencies also report that a major source of Ketamine in the United States is product diverted from pharmacies in Mexico.
High doses of Ketamine produce an effect commonly referred to as a “near death” or “out of body” experience. Use of Ketamine can cause delirium, amnesia, depression, long-term memory loss and cognitive difficulties. Ketamine is often used as a “date rape” drug.
Alcohol, cocaine and marijuana are often used in combination with Ketamine. When abused, Ketamine produces a dose-related progression of effects from a state of dreamy intoxication to delirium accompanied by the inability to move, feel pain or remember what happened while under the influence of the drug. Ketamine’s trip is said to be similar to that of LSD or PCP but lasts only 30-60 minutes as opposed to several hours.
Because it is odorless and tasteless, Ketamine can be added to beverages without being detected and induces amnesia. Because of this, Ketamine is sometimes given to unsuspecting victims and use in the commission of sexual assaults referred to as “date rape.”
Low-dose intoxication from Ketamine results in impaired attention, learning ability and memory. In high doses, Ketamine can cause delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure, depression and potentially fatal respiratory problems.
Ketamine can cause a tremendous psychological dependence. The disassociation from one’s consciousness experience that is brought on by the drug can be highly seductive to many people and there are many reported cases of ketamine addiction.
Ketamine is a psychedelic anesthetic classified medically as a dissociative anesthetic and was discovered by Dr. Cal Stevens of Wayne State University in 1961. Heavily used on the battlefields of Vietnam, it is most commonly used today for short surgical procedures in both humans and animals. Ketamine is often used for procedures with burn victims. Ketamine produces a state in the central nervous system in which amnesia and a profound loss of pain are induced although the patient does not appear to be asleep.
Ketamine may produce a pleasant, dream-like state with vivid imagery, hallucinations and possibly, extreme delirium. This effect usually only lasts a few hours. Excitement and visual disturbances occur days or weeks after exposure to the drug and several users report having “flashbacks.” Ketamine produces ataxia, slurring of speech, dizziness, confusion, blurred vision, anxiety and insomnia. Ketamine can also cause a person to stop breathing, leading to cardiac arrest, brain damage, or even death.
Source: www.dea.gov
