Some people might be surprised to learn that legalized ketamine is even a thing. On the street, ketamine is known as “Special K,” amongst other names. A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ketamine fact sheet says that it comes in liquid or powder form, is commonly used in clubs to get high, and because it’s such a potent sedative — even to the point of producing immobility — that it’s also used as a date rape drug.
And because the line between legal and illegal drugs often comes down to distribution, ketamine is also a legalized therapeutic aid, like the ketamine infusion therapy that Matthew Perry received. As WebMD explains, medical ketamine took off in the 1960s as an anesthetic and remedy for suicidal ideations. As chief of psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital John Krystal says, ketamine produces “feelings of unreality; visual and sensory distortions; a distorted feeling about one’s body; temporary unusual thoughts and beliefs; and a euphoria or a buzz.” The Pacific Neuroscience Institute describes how ketamine creates a “mystical” experience followed by an “afterglow” and rapid improvement in mood-based symptoms.
Such a powerful drug isn’t without obvious dangers — like if someone dosed on ketamine and headed into a swimming pool. Aside from possible physical side effects like liver damage (per the NHS), the FDA says that controlled ketamine users are at serious risk for abuse. For a person like Perry with a history of substance problems, the risk might have been too high.
