What is it?
Ketamine hydrochloride is a central nervous system depressant and a rapid-acting general anesthetic. It has sedative-hypnotic, analgesic, and hallucinogenic properties. It is marketed in the US and a number of foreign countries for use as a general anesthetic in both human and veterinary medical practice.

What does it look like?
Ketamine is a white powder, similar to cocaine.

What are the street names/slang terms for it?
Special K, Vitamin K, new Ecstasy, psychadelic heroin, Ketalar, Ketaject, Super-K, breakfast cereal, date rape drug.

How is it used?
Normally found in injectable form, it is converted into a powder and re-packaged in small ziplock bags or capsules. Ketamine is generally snorted but is sometimes sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked. Special K is frequently used in combination with other drugs, such as Ecstasy, heroin and cocaine.

What are its short-term effects?
Users sometimes call the high caused by Special K "K hole" and describe profound hallucinations that include visual distortions and a lost sense of time, sense and identity. Other effects can include delirium, impaired motor function, potentially fatal respiratory problems.