HISTORY:
Liquid Ketamine was developed in the early 1960s as an anesthetic for
surgeries, and was used on the battlefields of Vietnam as an anesthetic.
Powdered Ketamine emerged as a recreational drug in the 1970s, and was known
as "Vitamin K" in the 1980s. It resurfaced in the 1990s rave scene as
"Special K."
INFORMATION:
Ketamine, or ketamine hydrochloride, is a non-barbiturate,
rapid-acting disassociate anesthetic used on both animals and humans; it
also has been used in human medicine for pediatric burn cases and dentistry,
and in experimental psychotherapy. It is being abused by an increasing
number of young people as a "club drug," and is often distributed at "raves"
and parties.
Ketamine is a liquid and the most potent ways of using it are by
injecting it intramuscularly or intravenously. There is the risk of losing
motor control before injection is completed. Ketamine also can be made into
a tablet, or a powder by evaporating the liquid and reducing it to a fine
white powder that can be smoked or snorted. Because of its appearance,
Ketamine is often mistaken for cocaine or crystal methamphetamine. Some
reports indicate it is sometimes sold as MDMA (Ecstasy) and mixed with other
drugs such as ephedrine and caffeine. "Cafeteria use" -- the use of a number
of hallucinogenic and sedative/hypnotic club drugs such as MDMA, GHB, LSD,
and illegally used prescription drugs -- is reported almost everywhere in
the U.S.
Ketamine produces a dissociate state in a user. Effects can range from
rapture to paranoia to boredom. The user feels its hallucinogenic effects
and experiences impaired perception. Ketamine commonly elicits an
out-of-body or near-death experience; it can render the user comatose.
STREET NAMES:
K, Ket, Special K, Vitamin K, Vit K, Kit Kat, Keller, Kelly's day,
Green, Blind squid, Cat valium, Purple, Special la coke, Super acid, and
Super C. |