Longitudinal trajectories of ketamine use among young injection drug users

Lankenau, Stephen E.; Bloom, Jennifer Jackson; Shin, Charles

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2010.01.007

« Previous Next »International Journal of Drug Policy
Volume 21, Issue 4 , Pages 306-314, July 2010

Longitudinal trajectories of ketamine use among young injection drug users

Stephen E. Lankenau
- Drexel University, School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and Prevention, 1505 Race Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102, United States
- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Saban Research Institute, Community, Health Outcomes, and Intervention Research Program, 6430 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1500, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
- Corresponding author at: Drexel University, School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and Prevention, 1505 Race Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102, United States. Tel.: +1 215 762 2570.
Jennifer Jackson Bloom
- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Saban Research Institute, Community, Health Outcomes, and Intervention Research Program, 6430 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1500, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
Charles Shin
- Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics, 17701 Cowan, Suite 220, Irvine, CA 92614, United States

Received 18 June 2009; received in revised form 24 November 2009; accepted 11 January 2010. published online 08 February 2010.

Abstract

Background

Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that became increasingly popular in the club and rave scene in the 1980s and 1990s. Reports surfaced in the late 1990s indicating that ketamine was being injected in several U.S. cities by young injection drug users (IDUs). Since all studies on ketamine injection were cross-sectional, a longitudinal study was undertaken in 2005 to determine: characteristics of young IDUs who continue to inject ketamine; frequency of ketamine injection over an extended time period; risks associated with ongoing ketamine injection; and environmental factors that impact patterns of ketamine use.

Methods

Young IDUs aged 16–29 with a history of injecting ketamine (n=101) were recruited from public locations in Los Angeles and followed during a 2-year longitudinal study. A semi-structured instrument captured quantitative and qualitative data on patterns of ketamine injection and other drug use. A statistical model sorted IDUs who completed three or more interviews (n=66) into three groups based upon patterns of ketamine injection at baseline and follow-up. Qualitative analysis focused on detailed case studies within each group.

Results

IDUs recruited at baseline were typically in their early 20s, male, heterosexual, white, and homeless. Longitudinal injection trajectories included: “Moderates,” who injected ketamine several times per year (n=5); “Occasionals,” who injected ketamine approximately once per year (n=21); and “Abstainers,” who did not inject any ketamine during follow-up (n=40). Findings suggest that ketamine is infrequently injected compared to other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Most IDUs who begin injecting ketamine will stop or curb use due to: negative or ambivalent experiences associated with ketamine; an inability to find the drug due to declining supply; or maturing out of injecting drugs more generally.

Conclusion

Reducing ketamine injection among young IDUs may best be accomplished by targeting particular groups of IDUs identified in this study, such as homeless youth and homeless travellers.

Keywords: Ketamine, Injection drug use, High-risk youth