Ketamine is a drug primarily used as an animal anesthetic though it can also be used for this purpose in human beings.  It has become an increasingly popular club drug and is known on the street as K or special K.  Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic.  It is used to put animals and people to sleep prior to surgery. Individuals that take it in small doses may feel like they are separated from their body. Other drugs that work in a similar manner are nitrous oxide, PCP and DXM.  

When individuals take Ketamine and they feel separated from their body, their perceptions and senses differ from what it actually going on.  Feeling like one is in a dream-like state is how some people have described it. When too much is taken, one may not be able to move. They may also suffer from hallucinations, flashbacks and feel near death.  This is known as a K-hole.

Ketamine is usually snorted and it takes about 10 minutes before the user feels its effects. It can also be injected or swallowed. Individuals who take Ketamine orally won't feel the effects as soon as someone who snorts or injects it.

 Ketamine should not be combined with other depressants as this can be very dangerous. For example,  combining Ketamine with GHB, Valium and alcohol  can be quite risky and can result in death due to respiratory depression.  Individuals can also slip into a coma.

Chronic use of Ketamine can cause mental disorders to develop. Individuals with a history of such disorders may be even more at risk and will want to avoid Ketamine use. Though the drug is not physically addicting, it can be quite so, psychologically. Individuals who find that they have become dependent on the drug may want to enter drug rehabilitation especially if their addiction has become severe.

Ketamine is classified as a Schedule 3 drug in the United States.  This means that it is illegal to posses without a license or prescription. Those who are found with Ketamine without the aforementioned, could face jail time.