/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f611a5aba4b14b2307b2456/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=6000&cropY1=302&cropY2=3677&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Colorado City Temporarily Bars Use Of Ketamine After Elijah McClain’s Death As Medical Experts Urge Permanent Ban")
Topline
Aurora, Colorado, has banned first responders from using the drug ketamine until officials finish a review of its use in the 2019 death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, as some medical experts push to permanently ban non-medical administration of the powerful sedative.
Two people hold posters showing images depicting Elijah McClain during a candlelight vigil for … [+]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Key Facts
McClain, an unarmed Black man, suffered cardiac arrest and died after being put in a stranglehold by police and injected with a dose of ketamine that was 1.5 times the correct amount for his weight.
Aurora’s City Council moved to temporarily ban the drug during a Tuesday vote following concerns from several groups about its increased use by first responders.
The Colorado Sun found that medics in Colorado dosed 902 people with ketamine for “excited delirium” (a state characterized by agitation and aggression, typically associated with drug use) over the course of 2.5 years, and in 17% of the instances, serious complications arose.
CNN identified several ongoing investigations into the use of ketamine by first responders around the country.
Some medical experts, including the American Society of Anesthesiologists, have questioned why ketamine is being used in non-medical situations.
Chief Critic
“Ketamine is a potent analgesic, sedative and general anesthetic agent which can elevate blood pressure and heart rate, and can lead to confusion, agitation, delirium, and hallucinations,” wrote the society in a July statement opposing the use of ketamine for law enforcement purposes. “These effects can end in death when administered in a non-health care setting without appropriately trained medical personnel and necessary equipment.”
Key Background
When used appropriately, ketamine can help relieve pain, and has anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and neuroprotective effects. However, its usage by police has proven problematic on more than one occasion. Within four days of McClain’s death, 25-year-old Elijah McKnight was also injected with ketamine in Aurora. McKnight was hospitalized and put on life support after being given two doses of the drug but, unlike McClain, survived. “Why anyone would be giving ketamine in that circumstance is beyond me,” neuroscientist Carl Hart, the chair of Columbia University’s psychology department, told NBC News. “No one should be taking or given it against their will.”
Further Reading
“Medics in Colorado dosed 902 people with ketamine for “excited delirium” in 2.5 years, including Elijah McClain” (Colorado Sun)
“Two strangers, with the same first name, and a terrifying story about ketamine in policing” (CNN)
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