Fears as partygoers use horse tranquilliser to get ‘messed up faster’
Young people are mixing the “easy to get” horse tranquilliser ketamine with another illicit drug, in a rising trend sparking warnings from health experts that the combination can be deadly.
Leader
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Partygoers are risking their lives by mixing horse tranquilliser ketamine with cocaine.
And experts warn the “rising trend” among some festival goers of using a cocktail of drugs has serious side effects, which can lead to a coma and death if taken in high doses.
Users have told the Leader, ketamine known also as ‘Special K’ or ‘horse tranc’, allows them to go into a “k-hole”, where they feel detached from their body and less conscious of their surroundings.
Turning Point clinical director Dr Matthew Frei said the risky trend of mixing party drugs had become more common at music festivals in the past two years.
“When you talk to people that work at festivals – particularly nurses the trend is definitely to use multiple drugs and to mix a cocktails of drugs,” Dr Frei said.
“A possibility of why people are mixing ketamine and cocaine together could be they may not want the full k-hole effect and cocaine keeps them a bit alert while they’re experiencing the hallucinogenic effects of ketamine.”
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre said ketamine was classed as a hallucinogen when used illegally as a recreational drug.
Dr Amy Peacock, Program Lead of Drug Trends at NDARC says the dissociative general anaesthetic, in the event of overdose, can cause “an inability to move, severe confusion, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, loss of consciousness, coma and ‘near death’ experiences”.
The veterinary drug is typically snorted like cocaine but can also be taken in the form of pills.
A 21-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified, said she regularly takes Ketamine on weekends and at music festivals.
“It can get you so messed up faster and it’s half the price of coke – it makes you feel unreal like you fall into a trance.”
“My friends and I also take a ‘CK line’ (cocaine and ketamine mixed together) as it’s the ultimate feeling and it lessens the effects of the k-hole.”
Another regular user, 22, said she bought Ketamine online through classifieds, websites or encrypted apps.
“It’s so easy for us to get – the reality is everyone knows a dealer. I pay $180 for a full bag (1g) and it saves us heaps of money on buying alcohol.”
“If you take it together with alcohol it also intensifies the feeling of the k-hole too.”
Popular classifieds websites are full of ads from dealers selling the drug.
One dealer wrote: “Cocaine, heroin and ketamine available. Quality of all cocaine, heroin, ketamine and medicines. We deliver all medications without any problems. we are very reliable and we rely on good customer ship“.
Another selling “sedatives, stimulants or cannabinoids” wrote “our products are “lab tested” to guarantee quality and potency for your health and we ship nationwide with ease.”
The NDARC Australian Drug Trends Report, which interviewed 797 people, found the use of ketamine had “significantly increased” from 2018 to 2019, with 41 per cent of the sample reporting recent use in 2019, compared with 35 per cent in 2018.
The data also revealed frequency of use remained relatively stable in 2019, with one-third (31 per cent) perceiving the drug to be “easy” to obtain – a decrease from 2018 at 44 per cent.
“Doctors and vets use this drug because of its effects of pain relief and amnesia. It is also sometimes described as a horse tranquilliser due to its use in veterinary medicine,” Dr Peacock said.
“There have been deaths associated with ketamine use. These often arise in the context of other substances or from accidents occurring following ketamine use.”
Melbourne University alcohol and drug policy expert Associate Professor John Fitzgerald also warned the dangerous drug was becoming very common at music festivals. He urged users to ensure they were with people in a safe space.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said police were aware of the dangers of ketamine, which was being misused by some people in the community.
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“The misuse of ketamine and its consumption poses serious health risks to an individual,” the spokeswoman said.
“We are also aware of a number of online platforms in which illicit activity occurs. The supply of illicit drugs online and via social media is an evolving part of modern policing and we’ll continue to investigate and charge people engaged in unlawful online activity, including the supply of illicit drugs.”
An Australian Border Force spokesman said from 2017 to December 2019, there were 1926 detections of ketamine at the border.