TEENS TURNING FROM COCAINE TO KETAMINE: POLICE

The animal painkiller ketamine is replacing cocaine as a street drug
of choice among teens, according to Hamilton police.

Typically sold as a white powder in small vials of about a gram, the
drug, also known as Special K, looks like cocaine but costs a third
of the price. At about $10 to $20 a vial or a "bump," it's a cheap
alternative to the $50 a gram cocaine costs.

"Kids are taking this but it's certainly not just the kids," said
Constable Perry Mason, a school resource officer. "It's an emerging
problem in the community and schools are just a reflection of the community."

Hamilton police say the street value of cocaine has nearly doubled
from $29,000 a kilogram in 2007 to $57,000 to $59,000 a kilogram today.

At the same time, the cost of designer drugs such as ecstasy and
Special K dropped. Club prices were about $20 a pill in 2007. Now
they're $5, police said.

Today, an ounce of cocaine costs about $1,500 whereas an ounce of
ketamine goes for about $450 to $500.

Cocaine, a stimulant, and ketamine, a fast-acting and powerful
anesthetic and painkiller used in veterinary and human surgery,
produce different highs.

But Sue Kennedy, executive director with Alternatives For Youth, a
local counselling service for youths with addictions, said it could
be more about experimentation than finding a similar high.

"(It could be) kids are not even making the distinction between
ketamine and cocaine. 'Who cares? I'm just going to use something to
feel different to get a buzz or get high,'" she said. "Are kids
necessarily making the distinction? Depending who's dealing or
sharing or using, do they know what they're ingesting? Maybe, maybe not."

Ketamine, also known as K, kitty or kit-kat, is typically snorted,
mixed into drinks or smoked with marijuana or tobacco. Effects are
usually felt within one to 10 minutes. It can cause a drunk or dizzy
feeling and vivid hallucinations.

Also sold as a clear liquid, it's commonly referred to as a date rape
drug because it can be easily slipped into drinks.

Police attention was drawn to local ketamine use about a year ago
after they arrested a Hamilton teen near a high school. Then they
learned about a couple high school students with ketamine addiction.

"From information that the schools received and information we
received, we thought this required attention," said Mason.

A two-week probe involving 12 officers, dubbed Project Garfield, led
to the arrest of four teenagers who were charged with possession of
marijuana. Two of them, both 17, were also charged with possession of
marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Although none of the charges related to ketamine, Mason said the
investigation led police to learn more about local ketamine use and
how it's distributed.

Kennedy said counsellors at Alternatives for Youth are not seeing a
marked increase in ketamine use among youths seeking counselling.

According to the 2009 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health, ketamine
ranks low in popularity, with only 2.2 per cent of students in Grade
7 to 12 having used it.