ǿմý

Entertainment

What is ketamine, the drug involved in Matthew Perry's death?

Share

The investigation into the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry has led to a sweeping indictment that pulled in five people who prosecutors say contributed to his ketamine overdose in October, including two doctors and a street dealer involved in providing Perry large amounts of the powerful anesthetic.

Here's what to know about ketamine.

What is ketamine?

Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved by U.S. health regulators for use during surgery. It can be given as an intramuscular injection or by IV.

The drug is a chemical cousin of the recreational drug PCP. Ketamine itself has been used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It can cause hallucinations and can impact breathing and the heart.

How was Matthew Perry using ketamine?

Ketamine has seen a huge surge in use in recent years as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain. While the drug isn’t approved for those conditions, doctors are free to prescribe drugs for so-called off-label uses.

In Perry's case, he was using it to treat depression. He was receiving ketamine infusion therapy from his physicians, but prosecutors said the actor turned to other sources when his doctors refused to give him more doses.

Prosecutors said Thursday that Perry obtained ketamine illicitly through a network that included a pair of doctors, his assistant and a woman they dubbed the “Ketamine Queen.” Perry’s assistant, who has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, injected the actor with ketamine — including several times on the day he died.

“We are not talking about legitimate ketamine treatment,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said while announcing the charges. “We’re talking about two doctors who abused the trust they had, abused their licenses to put another person’s life at risk.”

How else is ketamine being used?

Ketamine also has been used by paramedics as a sedative, often while working alongside police when they believed subjects were out of control. Some states and agencies have begun to rethink the practice due to its dangers. The 2019 death in Colorado of a young Black man named Elijah McClain brought scrutiny to the practice and led to a pair of paramedics being convicted for giving McClain an overdose of ketamine.

Overall, the practice of giving ketamine and other sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

CTVNews.ca ǿմý

Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is expected to be sentenced for his sexual assault convictions today, after multiple delays in the case that have stretched for months.

Charred stumps and the remains of fire-ravaged trees still cover large tracts of land on the Jasper landscape, but life is returning quickly down below.

Trial begins over Texas 'Trump Train' highway confrontation

A federal trial is set to begin Monday over claims that supporters of former U.S. president Donald Trump threatened and harassed a Biden-Harris campaign bus in Texas four years ago, disrupting the campaign on the last day of early voting.

video

video

Heather Appleton just renewed her passport for another ten years. “I’m not checking out yet,” said Appleton, 61, who has the incurable cancer, Multiple Myeloma.

Canada

  • Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is expected to be sentenced for his sexual assault convictions today, after multiple delays in the case that have stretched for months.

  • Around 50 people participated in Sunday's annual Kidney Walk in Barrie to raise awareness and funds for kidney health, including a wife who donated a kidney to her husband.

  • video

    video

    Heather Appleton just renewed her passport for another ten years. “I’m not checking out yet,” said Appleton, 61, who has the incurable cancer, Multiple Myeloma.

  • A 12-year-old collie was killed by three pit bulls in the B.C. Interior Sunday morning, according to authorities.

  • Mounties in Northern B.C. have set up a dedicated tip line as part of their ongoing investigation into the disappearance of an Indigenous woman two months ago.

  • Quebec provincial police (SQ) handed out over $15,000 in a two-day span to a series of drivers who were caught speeding and street racing on highways, including some that were construction zones.

World

Politics

Health

Sci-Tech

Entertainment

Business

Lifestyle

Sports

Autos

  • Nearly two-dozen drivers were caught in a speed trap outside a Vancouver elementary school on Thursday – as students were settling back into their daily routines.

  • An Ontario man said he couldn't believe an electric car he bought three years ago for $20,000 would need a new battery at a cost of more than $33,000.

Local Spotlight

Mary Grace Rico is seeking help in getting treatment for a rare spinal condition.

Swimmer Nicholas Bennett and para canoeist Brianna Hennessy have been named Canada's flag-bearers for Sunday's closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Paris.

Halifax resident Tucker Bottomley started feeling the painful effects of rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 21.

Roger Barker was looking forward to exchanging a book at one of the Little Free Libraries that had been erected in his neighbourhood, until he found it vandalized.

You never know what you might find in your doorbell camera footage...

Brenda Tremblay has been an avid gardener for the last 40 years, but this year’s harvest in Colpitts Settlement, N.B., is a tough nut to crack.

A group of seniors in Ontario is offering their time and experience as parents struggle to find reliable child care spaces.

Saskatchewan man Clyde Hall has been collecting and restoring antique farm equipment for five decades. He's now ready to part with his collection.

An Ottawa man has won the $3.8 million prize in the 'Catch the Ace' draw in Maniwaki, Que. Local radio station CHGA 97.3 has been playing their version of 'Catch the Ace' for nearly a year without a winner.

  • An attempted break-in to a Metro Vancouver business was caught on camera this weekend, leaving the owner with a terrifying sense of déjà vu.

  • The "volume and severity" of complaints against a B.C. condo owner for violating building bylaws were sufficient to justify hiring a lawyer to handle them, a tribunal has ruled, dismissing the man's bid to be let off the hook for $15,000 in legal fees.

  • Metro Vancouver has been under hazy skies due to wildfire smoke wafting into the region from the U.S, but conditions are expected to change Monday.

  • Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is expected to be sentenced for his sexual assault convictions today, after multiple delays in the case that have stretched for months.

  • A man has died in hospital after he was reportedly struck by a vehicle in North York, Toronto police say.

  • JUST IN

    JUST IN

    Police are investigating a smash-and-grab robbery at a jewelry store in Mississauga.

  • Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.

  • Some Jasperites have moved back to their community and tourists are being allowed in, but efforts to rebuild the third of the town that was destroyed by July’s wildfire remains the priority.

  • Calgary water consumption ddropped Saturday to 496 million litres, a dip of nine million litres from Friday’s 505 million.

  • Starting Monday, Sept. 9, federal employees in the core public administration will be required to be in the office a minimum of three days a week, and executives will need to be on-site a minimum of four days a week.

  • The head of OC Transpo insists there is "sufficient additional capacity" available on OC Transpo buses and the O-Train as federal public servants return to the office this week.

  • Ontario Provincial Police say an officer stopped a driver on Hwy. 416 in Grenville County travelling 195 km/h Saturday night.

  • Unions trying to organize at Amazon workplaces across Canada are facing a series of hurdles, including legal challenges and alleged anti-union tactics from the e-commerce giant.

  • A man in his 20s was the target of gunfire in Longueuil, on Montreal's South Shore.

  • Public transit services are expected to be disrupted this week in Sherbrooke, Que. as bus drivers exercise a strike mandate for four hours on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

  • At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.

  • Charred stumps and the remains of fire-ravaged trees still cover large tracts of land on the Jasper landscape, but life is returning quickly down below.

  • Mounties say a man who went missing while hiking Saturday west of Grande Prairie was found safe Sunday night.

  • The first residents of the 32 new affordable homes for women and their children in Dartmouth, N.S., have moved in, with more to follow in the coming weeks.

  • The New Brunswick Liberals got a jump on the province's coming fall election by officially launching their party's campaign on Sunday, saying they're focused on addressing affordability and improving the ailing health-care system.

  • Indigenous leaders came together Saturday to honour the life and legacy of Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick.

  • More than 300 people laced up their walking shoes Sunday for the 21st annual Walk of Hope for ovarian cancer in Winnipeg’s Kildonan Park.

  • Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response (SIRT) is investigating after a man died as a result of police action on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.

  • Regina's annual Queen City Marathon took place on Sunday, and it attracted quite the crowd. The start and finish line at the Conexus Arts Centre hosted people of all skill levels looking to try their hand at a race.

  • The second Sunday in September has been a solemn day at the RCMP's Depot Division in Regina since 1935.

  • According to police, during a traffic stop in Waterloo, officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.

  • Faye Dzikewich continues to fight for answers for her 36-year-old son, who died after spending the night in an Ontario Provincial Police cell in Rockwood, Ont.

  • More than a dozen vehicles have been stolen from Cambridge since mid-August.

  • Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response (SIRT) is investigating after a man died as a result of police action on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.

  • Online fundraisers have been launched to support the victims of an incident that saw a student set on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate on Thursday.

  • Three years have gone by since the death of nine-year-old Baeleigh Maurice at the intersection of 33rd St. W. and Avenue G. Three years marked by court dates, committee meetings, and pleas to the city to improve safety conditions.

  • Ontario Provincial Police say a 54-year-old novice driver was travelling with drugs and without a required ignition interlock device or a qualified driver in the vehicle when it ended up in the ditch off Highway 11 last month, leading to multiple charges including impaired driving.

  • According to police, during a traffic stop in Waterloo, officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.

  • Owen Sound police are searching for witnesses after a pedestrian was dragged by a vehicle.

  • video

    video

    Heather Appleton just renewed her passport for another ten years. “I’m not checking out yet,” said Appleton, 61, who has the incurable cancer, Multiple Myeloma.

  • Sarnia police officers have arrested two suspects after a break and enter investigation.

  • Familiar faces were brought back together as more than a hundred CKVR alumni gathered at Donaleigh's Irish Public House Saturday night for a special reunion.

  • A Saturday evening fire in the Town of the Blue Mountains caused significant damage at a residential chalet near the ski resort.

  • Fire crews responded to a fire at Berczy Park in Barrie early Sunday morning, where a group of people using the area as a campground received a three-day eviction notice from the City earlier this week.

  • Windsor fire was on scene of a blaze at a former school on Norman Road Sunday afternoon.

  • One person has died following a collision Saturday night.

  • The Essex County OPP have laid charges following a single vehicle collision and car fire.

  • A 12-year-old collie was killed by three pit bulls in the B.C. Interior Sunday morning, according to authorities.

  • The "volume and severity" of complaints against a B.C. condo owner for violating building bylaws were sufficient to justify hiring a lawyer to handle them, a tribunal has ruled, dismissing the man's bid to be let off the hook for $15,000 in legal fees.

  • Mounties in Northern B.C. have set up a dedicated tip line as part of their ongoing investigation into the disappearance of an Indigenous woman two months ago.

  • A 12-year-old collie was killed by three pit bulls in the B.C. Interior Sunday morning, according to authorities.

  • Mounties in northwestern B.C. say they have arrested the suspect in a fatal shooting almost exactly a year after it occurred.

  • A man has now been charged for his alleged role in a hit-and-run that killed a teenager in Kelowna, B.C., last fall.

  • Rob Miyashiro was selected as the NDP candidate in Lethbridge-West Saturday to replace MLA Shannon Phillips.

  • It’s been just over a week since the federal government banned nicotine pouches from being sold anywhere other than a pharmacy.

  • A more inclusive and welcoming land acknowledgment has been released by the City of Lethbridge.

  • A Montreal-based power pop band with strong ties to northern Ontario is kicking off its new tour in North Bay at the end of the month followed by three other northern stops.

  • Another politician has added his voice to the call to have the timeline to build a new bridge in Little Current to connect Manitoulin Island to the mainland sped up.

  • A family dispute exploded in Elliot Lake on Thursday, end in charges for one individual.

N.L.

Shopping Trends

The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

Stay Connected
Follow CTV News