Ketamine
Ketamine hydrochloride, or “Special K,” is a powerful hallucinogen widely used as an animal tranquilizer by veterinarians. Users call the high it causes “K hole,” and describe profound hallucinations that include visual distortions and a lost sense of time, sense, and identity. The high can last from a half hour to 2 hours, but the Drug Enforcement Administration reports that the drug can still affect the body for up to 24 hours.
Health Effects
Use of Special K can result in profound physical and mental problems including delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function and potentially fatal respiratory problems.
Methods of Use
Special K is a powder. The drug is usually snorted, but is sometimes sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked. Special K is frequently used in combination with other drugs, such as ecstasy, heroin or cocaine.
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."
Source: The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
Research & Data
- PubMed
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- Research Data, Measures & Resources - NIDA
Links to various NIDA publications, databases, surveillance, prevention & treatment resources, and more.