Ketamine: The Other Date Rape Drug

 

Two things today reminded us of the dangers of Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer commonly given to horses. Today's news brought to light the sad fact that Ketamine was in Matthew Perry's system when he drowned. We may assume he took it willingly in order to "come down" a notch, and the results were tragic.

Today also brought a message from a reader asking if we knew the status of Dr. David Brian Dickerson who was accused of the sexual assault of a student while serving as a visiting professor at UNA. A quick check of his credit report shows his most recent address to be in Richmond, Virginia. Beyond that we have no new knowledge, but will attempt to find out more. 

While teaching at UNA, Dickerson was accused of drugging the drink of a female student and then taking her to his hotel room. Most such incidents involve chemicals called GHB (Georgia Home Boy) or Rohypnol (roofies). Yet a friend found out the hard way that other drugs are often found in club settings outside of spiked drinks.

Our friend was male, a very large male, who didn't drink, but did use tobacco daily. During an especially difficult time in his life, he went to a club to listen to music and relax. When offered a joint, he didn't hesitate to consider what might be in the rolling paper besides pot.

The man made it to the club parking lot before passing out. After he woke up in an emergency department, he was told that he had "a slight" amount of Ketamine in his system. 

Ladies (or anyone out there), know what you're drinking or smoking. Even if you're 99 years old, you're too young to lose your life to a drug you didn't even want in the first place.

*****