There is a new club drug cocktail that is killing our youth and authorities are helpess to stop it. The ‘Calvin Klein’ drug tragically took the life of a young violinist who was a musical prodigy. The drug is come to be known as the ‘Calvin Klein’ drug because it goes by the initials ‘CK,’ that reference the brand name known throughout the world. CK is a cocktail drug that is a mixture of cocaine and ketamine. The young violinist died from an accidental overdose of the drug in London on Thursday, July 11th, 2019.
Mixing of two drugs is called polydrug abuse and it has become a major problem for young adults. The Calvin Klein drug craze has already producted casualties, and the addiction epidemic continues to get worse.
New Deadly Drug “Calvin Klein” Has Hit the Club Scene
When one drug is a stimulant and the other a hallucinogenic, the combination together can easily be life-threatening. It was reported by the New York Post, “Katya Tsukanova, 17, a leading musician in the UK, died of an apparent overdose from a cocaine and ketamine drug cocktail — just days after performing at the Royal Opera House in the city”. This news has prompted further investigation of how dangerous this drug is. Although more evidence is needed in how cocaine and ketamine combined affects a person’s brain, there is research on the two drugs separately.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA, classifies ketamine as a dissociative drug similar to hallucinogens. NIDA states that the reason people take dissociative drugs is to “enable them to enter into what they perceive as a more enlightened sense of thinking or being” (NIDA). Additionally, from NIDA, “Ketamine—also known as K, Special K, or cat Valium—is a dissociative currently used as an anesthetic for humans as well as animals. Much of the ketamine sold on the street has been diverted from veterinary offices. Although it is manufactured as an injectable liquid, ketamine is generally evaporated to form a powder that is snorted or compressed into pills for illicit use…” (NIDA).
Cocaine is considered a stimulant drug, and when added to ketamine, likely increases the effect of the Ketamine. Historically, cocaine has been mixed with many other drugs to enhance their effects. It is commonly mixed with heroin, methamphetamine, and alcohol. Tsukanova was a victim of the lethal effects of both drugs. The New York Post reported that her father, Igor Tsukanova, said his daughter was a “smart girl, and she made one bad choice.” (NY Post).
What you need to know about the Calvin Klein club drug
Drug dealers are now profiting from the Calvin Klein drug craze and are pushing the product to teenagers and young adults everywhere. The CK drug is a popular club drug, and like other club drugs, may continue to take lives as it continues to be sold. The DEA currently does not acknowledge the drug cocktail CK as a specific drug type but does reference cocaine and ketamine in their drug scheduling system. This means that they are both absolutely illegal to possess and use.
The DEA schedules drugs according to how dangerous they are “Drugs, substances, and certain chemicals used to make drugs are classified into five (5) distinct categories or schedules depending upon the drug’s acceptable medical use and the drug’s abuse or dependency potential… the abuse rate is a determinate factor in the scheduling of the drug; for example, Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and physical dependence.” (DEA). Currently, Cocaine is listed with the DEA as a schedule II drug and Ketamine a schedule III.
The fact that a young violinist died accidentally from the mixture of cocaine and ketamine is tragic. Although most experiences with dangerous drugs do not end well, cases like this are very saddening and force us to examine what our younger generations are doing when they get together. Becoming involved and educated about the types of drugs that are available in clubs and on the street is a starting point. Additionally, adults must look for warning signs and behaviors that indicate drug use and abuse, as well as supporting laws that will limit the accessibility of these drugs to be bought over the web and by illegal prescription as in the case of ketamine.
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Published on: 2019-07-16
Updated on: 2024-03-08
