COUNCIL ON DRUG ABUSE

THE DRUG FILE

KETAMINE

Street Names

special K
K
vitamin K
cat tranquillizers

Description
Ketamine is used as a fast-acting anaesthetic. It is a dissociative drug. This means that it makes a person feel detached, and distorts their perception of sight and sound. Ketamine comes in a powder form or in a clear liquid. There are several ways of administering ketamine to the body. The drug can be snorted, smoked with tobacco or marijuana, mixed into drinks or injected. Ketamine affects the brain by acting on the neurotransmitter glutamate, which is involved in memory learning and perception of pain. As well, it acts on the neurotransmitter dopamine, which may cause the effects that it has on mood.

Origin and medical usage
Ketamine was developed in 1963, and is used in both veterinary and human medicine. It is created by pharmaceutical companies in laboratories. The illicit sales of ketamine mostly come from diverting the drug from pharmacies. It is still used today in both areas of medicine, where it acts an anaesthetic, painkiller and sedative.

Short-term effects
The short-term effects of ketamine use include, but are not limited to, numbness, loss of co-ordination, loss of consciousness, drowsiness, respiratory problems, increase in blood pressure and heart rate, decrease in memory, impaired attention, decrease in learning ability, hallucinations, feelings of detachment, experiencing a dreamlike state, aggressive behaviour and slurred speech.

Long-term effects
Unfortunately, due to lack of research, the long-term effects of non-medical use of ketamine are unknown.

Withdrawal
When people stop taking ketamine, they may experience a high degree of depression or anxiety, as well as a craving for the drug. This is a result of ketamine’s effects on the neurotransmitters in the brain.

Legal status
Ketamine is legally available to both doctors and veterinarians. Buying, selling, possessing, using and stealing ketamine for recreational use are criminal offences.

Signs that a person might be using
Signs that a person you know may be using ketamine include, but are not limited to, forgetting what he or she did or said recently, short attention span, confusion, loss of co-ordination, mood swings, and dizziness and fainting.