Ketamine Injection among High Risk Youth: Preliminary Findings from New York City

• Date: 01 July 2002
• Published date: 01 July 2002
• Author: Stephen E. Lankenau,Michael C. Clatts
• DOI: 10.1177/002204260203200311
• Subject Matter: Article

© 2002 BY THE JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES

JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES 0022-0426/02/03 893-906

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Stephen E. Lankenau, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences at

Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He conducts research on hidden populations,

high-risk youth, and out-of-treatment drug users. Michael C. Clatts, Ph.D., is the Director of the Institute

for Research on Youth at Risk (YAR) at National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI).

His principal area of interest is in community epidemiology and the development of community-based

public health programs. He was one of the first social scientists involved in HIV research and, over the

last 20 years, has lead a number of major epidemiological studies related to HIV prevention and care of

those who are infected.

KETAMINE INJECTION AMONG HIGH RISK YOUTH:

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM NEW YORK CITY

STEPHEN E. LANKENAU, MICHAEL C. CLATTS

Ketamine, a synthetic drug commonly consumed by high risk youth, produces a

range of experiences, including sedation, dissociation, and hallucinations. While

ketamine is more typically sniffed, we describe a small sample of young ketamine

injectors (n=25) in New York City and highlight risks associated with this emerging

type of injection drug use. Our findings indicate that the injection practices, injection

groups, and use norms surrounding ketamine often differ from other injection drug

use: intramuscular injections were more common than intravenous injections;

injection groups were often large; multiple injections within a single episode were

common; bottles rather than cookers were shared; and the drug was often obtained

for free. Our findings suggest that the drug injection practices exercised by ketamine

injectors place them at risk for bloodborne pathogens, such as HIV, HBV, and

HCV. We conclude that ketamine injectors represent an emerging, though often

hidden, population of injection drug users, particularly among high risk, street-

involved youth.

INTRODUCTION

Ketamine, also known as Special K, or K, is among the several illicit substances

recently classified as “club drugs.” Ketamine and other so-called club drugs, such

as MDMA and GHB, are synthetic substances that are consumed to alter a user’s

experience within a recreational setting (Curran & Morgan, 2000; Reynolds, 1997).

Among these drugs, ketamine is particularly noteworthy because it is commonly