|
Europe:
Ketamine
Now
Illegal
in
England
1/6/06
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/417/ketamineuk.shtml
Effective January 1, the
hallucinogenic anesthetic ketamine
is a prohibited Class C drug in the United Kingdom. Legal up until
last week, possession of "Special K," as the club drug is popularly known,
now carries a penalty of up to two years in prison, while sales can result
in sentences of up to 14 years.
Home Office minister Paul
Goggins announced the ban December 28. "Although ketamine use is
relatively low in the UK, there has been an increase by clubbers in recent
years," he said. "Ketamine poses serious health risks and must be
subject to strict controls to provide a considerable deterrent to those
seeking to import and supply the drug."
Goggins acted on a November
recommendation by the government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
The council's recommendation was spurred by awareness of the increasing
popularity of the drug, as noted in a survey
by the British drug policy organization Drugscope. In a report
released in September, Drugscope found that ketamine was now "a significant
player in the UK drugs market," moving from the gay club scene into larger
partying circles. In eight of 15 UK cities surveyed, ketamine was
on the list of major drugs. It had not made the list in any city
the year before.
"Ketamine has now established
its place alongside the usual dance scene drugs like ecstasy," said one
Nottingham drug worker cited by Drugscope.
"Ecstasy pills contain less
MDMA than they used to and so it is more of just a stimulant than something
that alters your state of mind. People aged 18-25 are taking ketamine
for a more trippy night out" commented a drug worker in Birmingham.
Ketamine was used in US field
hospitals during the Vietnam war and is used today as a veterinary anesthetic.
In humans, the drug causes dissociative effects and in large doses can
lead to hallucinations and alternate realities.
-- END --
|
Issue #417
-- 1/6/06
Editorial:
Arguments
Best
Set
to
Rest
|
Feature:
Rhode
Island
Overrides
Governor's
Veto
to
Become
11th
State
Okaying
Medical
Marijuana
|
Feature:
Medical
Marijuana
Refugee
Running
Out
of
Time,
Options
|
Feature:
Congressional
Budget-Cutting
Extends
Even
to
Drug
War
Sacred
Cows
|
Feature:
Reformers
Focus
on
Colorado,
Nevada
to
Free
the
Weed
in
2006
|
Law
Enforcement:
This
Week's
Corrupt
Cops
Stories
|
Methamphetamine:
Tennessee
Creates
Meth
Offender
Registry
|
Medical
Marijuana:
Sativex
Wins
FDA
Approval
for
Trials
in
US
|
Europe:
Ketamine
Now
Illegal
in
England
|
Latin
America:
DEA
to
Expand
into
Guyana
|
World-Wide:
This
Year's
Global
Marijuana
March
is
Coming
to
a
City
Near
You
May
6
|
New
DRCNet
Book
Offer:
"Tulia:
Race,
Cocaine,
and
Corruption
in
a
Small
Texas
Town"
|
Web
Scan:
New
England
Journal
of
Medicine
on
the
DEA
vs.
Oregon's
Right
to
Die
Law
|
Weekly:
This
Week
in
History
|
Weekly:
The
Reformer's
Calendar
|
|
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This issue -- single-file printer version
Drug War Chronicle -- main page
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