VIC Health Warns of 'Chemical Similar to PCP' Sold as Ketamine

White powder containing a chemical known as 3-Hydroxy-PCP (3-HO-PCP) is being sold as Ketamine in Victoria, Health Victoria has warned. 

Over the past few weeks, there’s been an “unusually high” number of people seeking emergency medical support after taking what they believed to be ketamine, Health Victoria said in a statement. Instead, health officials have declared that these cases have often involved 3-HO-PCP, described as white powder similar to ketamine. 

Like Ketamine, 3-HO-PCP is a dissociative, meaning it increases feelings of detachment, or distance from reality. However, users of the drug report 3-HO-PCP has a higher potency than ketamine, and takes longer to come on and wear off. 3-HO-PCP is similar to PCP, or “angel dust”, and may have undesirable effects including hallucinations, agitation, and increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.

The differences between 3-HO-PCP and ketamine can be identified in how long it takes for the drug to become active. 

“3-HO-PCP can take around 20 to 40 minutes to have a noticeable effect and lasts about three to four hours. Ketamine usually has an effect in 7.5 to 20 minutes and lasts one to two hours. If you experience delayed or unexpected drug effects, do not take more,” Health Victoria wrote. 

If taken with depressants such as opioids, benzodiazepines, GHB, or alcohol, 3-HO-PCP can become incredibly dangerous, increasing the risk of overdose and possibly lead to loss of consciousness or difficulty breathing. 

Ketamine has been increasing in popularity over the past few years. According to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey from 2019, the amount of people using ketamine doubled between 2016 to 2019 (0.4 percent of the population to 0.9 percent), with people in their 20’s the most likely to use.

And, this year, the Australian Drug Trend report of 2022 from the University of New South Wales National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, found that there’s been a steady incline since 2009, with the amount of people who regularly use ketamine rising by 21 percent in COVID-19 lockdowns. 

But as the drug increases in popularity as does the frequency of dealers selling other substances in place of ketamine, or impure batches of the drug, cut with other substances.

In September, VIC Health warned that Protonitazene, a novel synthetic opioid three times stronger than fentanyl, was being sold as ketamine. The most recent CanTEST pill-testing day in Canberra found four samples containing a new imitation ketamine, 2F-NENDCK, or “CanKet”. 

VIC Health urged ketamine users to extend caution, and implement harm reduction actions.

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