Ketamine is a short acting general anaesthetic, which is used for medical and veterinary purposes. It is termed a 'disassociative', which means that it impedes the brain's sensory connection to the body.
Short-term effects Using greater amounts of ketamine can cause muscle rigidity, headaches, nausea, confusion and disorientation, twitching, slurred speech, blurred vision and hallucinations.
There is no conclusive evidence that either supports or disproves whether people can become physically addicted to ketamine. However, ketamine can be habit forming for some people who use it regularly.
Currently ketamine is legislated under the Medicines Act 1981. This Act limits the availability of substances that can be used as medicines, and imposes penalties for misuse of these drugs.
The recreational use of ketamine is relatively low in New Zealand, according to minutes from the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs. The Committee recognised a "small but definite" market for ketamine and recommended that it be scheduled as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
The Drug Foundation’s message is clear: no drug use is the safest drug use. We also realise that there will be occasions when people ignore warnings and use drugs in a dangerous manner. Thus, in order to keep New Zealand’s communities safe, we provide information about proven methods of drug harm minimisation.
There are a number of treatment organisations that can help. If you feel that you or anyone you know needs help, then you can call these services in strict confidence.
