Authorities fear growth of 'Special K' use shifting to teens from...

ALISON FITZGERALD / Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) The body of 18yearold Donald Matthews was dumped outside a
shopping center in Fitchburg. He was the apparent victim of a drug overdose.

It wasn't cocaine, LSD or marijuana that police think killed Matthews,
though toxicology reports were still pending. Authorities suspect he died
after taking a mixture of heroin and ''Special K,'' an animal tranquilizer
that is legal in most states.

Special K, or just ''K,'' is the street name for Ketamine hydrochloride,
which can be smoked, inhaled like cocaine or dissolved in water for
drinking. Fatal in high doses one veterinarian last month said less than a
half ounce can tranquilize a horse the drug causes hallucinations.

It also is considered one of the ''date rape'' drugs because of the stupor
like condition it can cause.

Long popular in the nation's clubs, authorities fear the drug is growing
more popular with adolescents. A girl who attended the same apartment party
where Matthews was last seen last month ended up at a hospital.

More than a decade ago, New York City authorities said Ketamine was
suspected in a rash of date rapes. In 1991, word of the drug's popularity
prompted a warning from Roman Catholic Cardinal John O'Connor of New York.
But the drug is now showing up in smaller towns like Fitchburg, a former
mill town, population 35,000, some 40 miles northwest of Boston.

Across the country, Special K is a staple at ''raves,'' all night dance
parties for teens, but authorities say they are largely powerless to control
the use of the drug. In Massachusetts, no penalties exist for possession or
ingestion of the drug.

Brad Bailey, director of the Governor's Alliance Against Drugs, said he
first heard of Special K last summer. He is now considering a recommendation
that state lawmakers restrict its use in effect, making possession
illegal once he learns more.

''I intend to put out a strong warning about Special K and its dangers,'' he
said.

Kids aren't scoring Special K at typical drug markets, either.

In Nashua, N.H., two teenagers were charged with 13 burglaries at
veterinary clinics and police say they were part of a ring of Special K
thieves. In the weeks before Matthews' death, two central Massachusetts
veterinary clinics were burglarized by thieves searching for the drug.

Recently several other states have taken steps to control Special K.

Three weeks ago, Florida made Ketamine possession a felony, following
similar moves made by New Jersey, Wisconsin and Illinois. Possession will
become illegal in New York on Jan. 1.

Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Steve Matthews said the drug is compared a
lot to PCP, or phencyclidine, the ''angel dust'' that acts as a stimulant
and depressant.

''But it's not that strong,'' he said. ''You're not going to have kids
banging their heads on walls.''

The appearance of Special K is reminiscent of the spread of Rohypnol, known
as ''roofies,'' which was also used as a date rape drug. After several high
profile rape cases in which the assailant used Rohypnol to drug the victim,
state legislatures across the country moved to criminalize possession of the
drug. In October 1996, President Clinton signed a bill outlawing Rohypnol.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has been collecting data on
Ketamine since 1993, but it is not listed as a controlled substance.

© Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved.