Taken from Nottingham evening post, UK
[oh, just before i start, i live in Nottingham and would be very interested to find out where they think you can get ketamine for #6 a gram!]
K IS FOR KILLER!
BY MADELEINE BRINDLEY
17:00 - 30 April 2002
CLUBBERS are dicing with death by taking a powerful animal tranquilliser.
Ketamine can be deadly if users take it while drinking alcohol. They risk collapsing and falling into a coma.
But police are powerless to stop people using the drug because it is legal to possess it. Only supplying it is illegal.
Now Nottingham North MP Graham Allen has pledged to discuss the issue with Home Secretary David Blunkett.
Ketamine, dubbed 'Special K' by users, is made in back-street laboratories and costs £6 a gram.
Clubbers take it for its psychedelic and hallucinogenic effects and it is becoming as popular as ecstasy and cocaine.
Just two tenths of a gram is enough to achieve a "near death" experience.
But experts say users are now mixing it with alcohol to enhance the experience.
They risk falling into a coma, which can be followed by heart and lung failure.
Mick Morledge, of the Tranx Release helpline, said: "It's a deadly concoction. Ketamine is one of the strongest drugs available so people who are mixing it with alcohol are very lucky to get away with it. Mixing ketamine and alcohol is on a par with taking heroin."
Drugs squad officer Detective Sergeant Steve Holme said: "We've noticed a massive increase in the number of people using ketamine but because of the legal status of the drug our hands are tied."
Ketamine, also known as Vitamin K or K, is used by vets.
Steve Youdell, of Nottingham's Alcohol Problems Advisory Service, added: "It's a highly dangerous drug and should never be mixed with alcohol."
[ 01 May 2002: Message edited by: Lerkin ]
[oh, just before i start, i live in Nottingham and would be very interested to find out where they think you can get ketamine for #6 a gram!]
K IS FOR KILLER!
BY MADELEINE BRINDLEY
17:00 - 30 April 2002
CLUBBERS are dicing with death by taking a powerful animal tranquilliser.
Ketamine can be deadly if users take it while drinking alcohol. They risk collapsing and falling into a coma.
But police are powerless to stop people using the drug because it is legal to possess it. Only supplying it is illegal.
Now Nottingham North MP Graham Allen has pledged to discuss the issue with Home Secretary David Blunkett.
Ketamine, dubbed 'Special K' by users, is made in back-street laboratories and costs £6 a gram.
Clubbers take it for its psychedelic and hallucinogenic effects and it is becoming as popular as ecstasy and cocaine.
Just two tenths of a gram is enough to achieve a "near death" experience.
But experts say users are now mixing it with alcohol to enhance the experience.
They risk falling into a coma, which can be followed by heart and lung failure.
Mick Morledge, of the Tranx Release helpline, said: "It's a deadly concoction. Ketamine is one of the strongest drugs available so people who are mixing it with alcohol are very lucky to get away with it. Mixing ketamine and alcohol is on a par with taking heroin."
Drugs squad officer Detective Sergeant Steve Holme said: "We've noticed a massive increase in the number of people using ketamine but because of the legal status of the drug our hands are tied."
Ketamine, also known as Vitamin K or K, is used by vets.
Steve Youdell, of Nottingham's Alcohol Problems Advisory Service, added: "It's a highly dangerous drug and should never be mixed with alcohol."
[ 01 May 2002: Message edited by: Lerkin ]
