Ketamine

Marketed as a dissociative general anesthetic for human and veterinary use, the only known source of ketamine is via diversion of pharmaceutical products. Recent press reports indicate that a significant number of veterinary clinics are being robbed specifically for their ketamine stock. DEA reporting indicates that a major source of ketamine in the United States is product diverted from pharmacies in Mexico. Ketamine liquid can be injected, applied to smokable material, or consumed in drinks. The powdered form is made by allowing the solvent to evaporate, leaving a white or slightly off-white powder that, once pulverized, looks similar to cocaine. The powder can be put into drinks, smoked, or dissolved and then injected. Prices average $20 to $25 per dosage unit.

Ketamine produces physical effects similar to PCP, with the visual effects of LSD. Users report that it is better than PCP or LSD because the trip lasts an hour or less. Low doses of the drug produce an experience called “K-Land,” a mellow, colorful “wonder world.” Higher doses produce an effect referred to as “K-Hole,” an “out of body,” or “near-death” experience. Due to its dissociative effect, it is reportedly used as a date-rape drug.

Source: DEA, "Club Drugs: An Update," September 2001

Ketamine is similar molecularly to phencyclidine (PCP) and thus creates similar effects including numbness, loss of coordination, sense of invulnerability, muscle rigidity, aggressive/violent behavior, slurred or blocked speech, exaggerated sense of strength, and a blank stare. . Since ketamine is an anesthetic, it stops the user from feeling pain, which could lead the user to inadvertently cause injury to himself/herself. Ketamine may relieve tension and anxiety, is purported to be a sexual stimulant, and intensifies colors and sounds.

The effects of a ketamine 'high' usually last an hour but they can last for 4-6 hours, and 24-48 hours are generally required before the user will feel completely "normal" again. Effects of chronic use of ketamine may take from several months to two years to wear off completely. Low doses (25-100mg) produce psychedelic effects quickly. Large doses can produce vomiting and convulsions and may lead to oxygen starvation to the brain and muscles; one gram can cause death. Flashbacks may even occur one year after use. Long-term effects include tolerance and possible physical and/or psychological dependence.

Source: NCADI (National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information), "Ketamine: A Fact Sheet."

-->Read more...

Khat

Khat (pronounced COT) is known by over 40 different street names including, kat, qat, chat, gat, graba, tohai, tschat, and mirraa. Khat is a stimulant derived from Catha Edulis, a 6-12-foot flowering evergreen shrub. The fresh young leaves of the shrub have been consumed where the plant is cultivated, primarily in East Africa and the Arabian peninsula. There, chewing khat predates the use of coffee and is used in a similar social context. It is estimated that over 10 million people use and abuse Khat today, primarily in the Middle East.

Khat is used for its stimulant effects. The effects are similar to but less intense than those of methamphetamine or cocaine. Fresh leaves are chewed and dried leaves are smoked, made into a paste and chewed, or brewed in tea. Used moderately, khat alleviates fatigue and reduces appetite. Long term use or abuse can cause insomnia, anorexia, gastric disorders, depression, liver damage and cardiac complications. Manic behavior, delusional behavior, violence, suicidal depression, hallucinations, paranoia and khat-induced psychosis have also been reported.

Khat contains a number of chemicals among which are two controlled substances, cathinone (Schedule I) and cathine (Schedule IV). As the leaves mature or dry, cathinone is converted to cathine which significantly reduces its stimulatory properties. Cathinone is approximately 10 more times more potent than cathine and is only present in fresh leaves.

Cathine, the secondary active ingredient in Khat, does not lose much of its potency with age as with cathinone. Leaves less than 48 hours old are preferred to ensure a maximum potency of cathinone. However, Khat can be preserved by freezing, the same way that vegetables and meats are kept fresh in the United States.

-->Read more...

Ketamine

Marketed as a dissociative general anesthetic for human and veterinary use, the only known source of ketamine is via diversion of pharmaceutical products. Recent press reports indicate that a significant number of veterinary clinics are being robbed specifically for their ketamine stock. DEA reporting indicates that a major source of ketamine in the United States is product diverted from pharmacies in Mexico. Ketamine liquid can be injected, applied to smokable material, or consumed in drinks. The powdered form is made by allowing the solvent to evaporate, leaving a white or slightly off-white powder that, once pulverized, looks similar to cocaine. The powder can be put into drinks, smoked, or dissolved and then injected. Prices average $20 to $25 per dosage unit.

Ketamine produces physical effects similar to PCP, with the visual effects of LSD. Users report that it is better than PCP or LSD because the trip lasts an hour or less. Low doses of the drug produce an experience called “K-Land,” a mellow, colorful “wonder world.” Higher doses produce an effect referred to as “K-Hole,” an “out of body,” or “near-death” experience. Due to its dissociative effect, it is reportedly used as a date-rape drug.

Source: DEA, "Club Drugs: An Update," September 2001

Ketamine is similar molecularly to phencyclidine (PCP) and thus creates similar effects including numbness, loss of coordination, sense of invulnerability, muscle rigidity, aggressive/violent behavior, slurred or blocked speech, exaggerated sense of strength, and a blank stare. . Since ketamine is an anesthetic, it stops the user from feeling pain, which could lead the user to inadvertently cause injury to himself/herself. Ketamine may relieve tension and anxiety, is purported to be a sexual stimulant, and intensifies colors and sounds.

The effects of a ketamine 'high' usually last an hour but they can last for 4-6 hours, and 24-48 hours are generally required before the user will feel completely "normal" again. Effects of chronic use of ketamine may take from several months to two years to wear off completely. Low doses (25-100mg) produce psychedelic effects quickly. Large doses can produce vomiting and convulsions and may lead to oxygen starvation to the brain and muscles; one gram can cause death. Flashbacks may even occur one year after use. Long-term effects include tolerance and possible physical and/or psychological dependence.

Source: NCADI (National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information), "Ketamine: A Fact Sheet."

-->Read more...

Ketamine

Marketed as a dissociative general anesthetic for human and veterinary use, the only known source of ketamine is via diversion of pharmaceutical products. Recent press reports indicate that a significant number of veterinary clinics are being robbed specifically for their ketamine stock. DEA reporting indicates that a major source of ketamine in the United States is product diverted from pharmacies in Mexico. Ketamine liquid can be injected, applied to smokable material, or consumed in drinks. The powdered form is made by allowing the solvent to evaporate, leaving a white or slightly off-white powder that, once pulverized, looks similar to cocaine. The powder can be put into drinks, smoked, or dissolved and then injected. Prices average $20 to $25 per dosage unit.

Ketamine produces physical effects similar to PCP, with the visual effects of LSD. Users report that it is better than PCP or LSD because the trip lasts an hour or less. Low doses of the drug produce an experience called “K-Land,” a mellow, colorful “wonder world.” Higher doses produce an effect referred to as “K-Hole,” an “out of body,” or “near-death” experience. Due to its dissociative effect, it is reportedly used as a date-rape drug.

Source: DEA, "Club Drugs: An Update," September 2001

Ketamine is similar molecularly to phencyclidine (PCP) and thus creates similar effects including numbness, loss of coordination, sense of invulnerability, muscle rigidity, aggressive/violent behavior, slurred or blocked speech, exaggerated sense of strength, and a blank stare. . Since ketamine is an anesthetic, it stops the user from feeling pain, which could lead the user to inadvertently cause injury to himself/herself. Ketamine may relieve tension and anxiety, is purported to be a sexual stimulant, and intensifies colors and sounds.

The effects of a ketamine 'high' usually last an hour but they can last for 4-6 hours, and 24-48 hours are generally required before the user will feel completely "normal" again. Effects of chronic use of ketamine may take from several months to two years to wear off completely. Low doses (25-100mg) produce psychedelic effects quickly. Large doses can produce vomiting and convulsions and may lead to oxygen starvation to the brain and muscles; one gram can cause death. Flashbacks may even occur one year after use. Long-term effects include tolerance and possible physical and/or psychological dependence.

Source: NCADI (National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information), "Ketamine: A Fact Sheet."

-->Read more...