• Causes hallucinations, violence, loss of self control
• The drug is an animal tranquilizer, so many users have been known to burglarize veterinary clinics to steal it in mass quantities
• Street names for ketamine include K, Special K, Vitamin K, kit kat, super C and super acid
• Appears as a liquid or powder dissolved in drinks
• Accompanying paraphernalia includes:
  • veterinary medicine containers/vials, indicating their source
  • needles for injecting the drug
  • straws for snorting the powder form of the drug


• Found at parties and raves, often with other club/designer drugs such as ecstasy, GHB and Rohypnol

Ketamine is a central nervous system depressant. It is an anesthetic developed for veterinary use, but is sometimes used in pediatric burn cases and dentistry. In recent years this drug has become a drug of choice among teenagers and young adults at raves. Ketamine may appear as a liquid that can be taken orally or injected either intravenously or intramuscularly. It may also appear as a tablet that can be swallowed or as a powder that can be smoked or snorted.

Ketamine may cause respiratory distress, elevated blood pressure, rapid heart rate, slurred speech, loss of coordination, muscle rigidity, temporary paralysis, vomiting and convulsions. These effects on the body may cause users to lapse into a coma or die. As little as one gram of ketamine can cause death.

Ketamine produces an out of body state, and users may experience a range of emotions from rapture to paranoia to boredom. This drug is similar in structure to PCP and causes many of the same symptoms including hallucinations, aggression, violent behavior, impaired perception, numbness of the hands and feet, loss of muscle control, slurred speech and indifference. These effects usually last from one to six hours. Physical effects of prolonged use include increased tolerance of the drug and possible physical and/or psychological dependence.

Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance in the United States and is illegal to use or possess unless prescribed by a physician.

What ketamine does to your:

• Brain—The drug is an anesthetic that causes brain damage and may trigger psychosis, seizures, depression and other neurological and psychological diseases.
• Heart—Causes high blood pressure.
• Lungs—Causes respiratory depression and arrest, which can be fatal.