After the tragic death of Amy Winehouse, more details of the death come out. She bought substances, believed to be cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and ketamine in the hours before her death. She was also believed to have been drinking heavily on Friday night. The purchase of the "cocktail" was said to be around 10:30 p.m. Friday night, in Camden.The source said, "'Amy Winehouse seemed determined to have a big one on Friday night. She was out in Camden on Friday evening, but seemed determined to carry on the party back at her flat. None of us know who was with her into the early hours of Saturday. But getting out of it was clearly her main priority of the night."
A post-mortem has been scheduled in the next few days in an effort to determine the exact cause of death. It was just a few days before that a report from the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs stated that the number of people using the drug ketamine had increased significantly over the last decade in the U.K., as its price fell. Surveys taken in 2009 found some 68 percent of U.K. club-goers had taken ketamine. In 2001 that number was 25 percent.
Extended ketamine use can cause bladder problems (symptoms reported by users included an increased need to urinate, passing blood in urine, leakage of urine and pain on urination) as well as kidney and liver damage. Chronic use of ketamine may also lead to cognitive impairment, including memory problems.
However, ketamine is classified as a Class C controlled substance, which is the lowest category in the U.K. Meanwhile, ecstasy is a Class A substance, and even cannabis is a Class B substance. The report stated that it was possible that the classification may have wrongly suggested that the drug was less dangerous than other substances.
Ketamine is a human and animal tranquilizer. It is sold in either powdered or liquid form. In its powdered form it can be inhaled, injected, or taken orally (although it also works as a laxative when ingested). According to Wikipedia, heavy ketamine users typicall use intramuscular injection as their primary method of administration due to a "smoother high," bypassing of the liver, and increased "efficiency."
Ketamine produces dissociative effects, similar to those of phencyclidine (PCP) and dextromethorphan (DXM). However, ketamine is very short-acting, its effects lasting sixty minutes when inhaled or injected and up to two hours when ingested.