Ketamine - How Is It Taken?

How Is It Taken?

Ketamine is snorted, smoked, or dissolved in water. The liquid form is swallowed or injected directly into a vein or muscle. When used by physicians or veterinarians as an anesthetic, ketamine comes in liquid form and is packaged in small glass vials. This liquid can be returned to a dry form by heating or "cooking" it. The "baked" drug is then crushed into a powder. Powdered ketamine is snorted through the nose in "bumps" (similar to "lines" of cocaine). It is also sprinkled on marijuana or tobacco and rolled into a homemade cigarette. In the United States, a 20-milligram unit of ketamine typically sells for about $25.

Users sometimes mix ketamine with a stimulantA substance that increases the activity of a living organism or one of its parts. like cocaine or methamphetamine. When taken together, this combination is referred to as "trail mix." Sometimes, drug dealers "cut" ketamine with other substances to yield a bigger batch and make more money. Users can never be sure of the drug's purity. Samples of seized ketamine have included substances such as amphetamines, heroin, PCP, caffeine, and other fillers. Ketamine has also been compressed into pills or loaded

Powdered ketamine is snorted through the nose in bumps (similar to lines of cocaine). Photograph by Leitha Etheridge-Sims.
Powdered ketamine is snorted through the nose in bumps (similar to lines of cocaine). Photograph by Leitha Etheridge-Sims.

into capsules and sold as other illegal drugs, including ecstasy. (Entries on cocaine, amphetamines, caffeine, ecstasy (MDMA), heroin, methamphetamine, and PCP are included in this encyclopedia.)