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70DESIGNER DRUGSmost addictive substances, repeated use of ketamine canproduce tolerance, requiring the user to take more and more ofthe substance to achieve its desired effects. Also, chronic use ofketamine can lead to physical and/or psychological dependence,resulting in withdrawal symptoms once the user stops takingKETAMINE USE INTRANQUILIZER DARTSThe ability of ketamine to render the user unable to move orexperience pain has resulted in a very effective use for thedrug in animals—tranquilizer darts. Through a blowgun,rifle, or similar method, a dart or syringe loaded with a highdose of ketamine can be launched from a distance towarda large animal to incapacitate it for transport, research, orveterinary care. When the dart strikes the animal, it empties itscontent into the muscle (similar to an intramuscular injectionin humans), and within minutes the animal is knocked out.Ketamine darts have been used by zookeepers, wild animalresearchers, and veterinarians to tranquilize horses, bears,elephants, monkeys, tigers, lions, leopards, bobcats, mountainlions, large birds, poisonous snakes, and many other animals.Although ketamine causes the animal’s muscles to becomerigid, it retains its ability to breathe. Also, as in humans, thedrug is metabolized very rapidly, and the effects wear offwithin an hour.Obviously, we do not know what, if any, psychedelicexperiences an animal may have in response to a ketaminedart. (Perhaps they experience K-Land and K-Hole justlike humans.) Animals rarely become violent or agitatedafter being injected with ketamine, so it is unlikely toproduce the psychotic symptoms observed in somehuman users.