DEA warns of crackdown on ketamine prescription following Matthew Perry's death

The death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry has prompted the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to take action. The agency is drawing alarming parallels between the rise in ketamine use and the beginnings of the opioid epidemic. As Double Blind reported, the DEA is now announcing possible action against so-called “ketamine pill mills,” which has sparked a heated debate in the medical and psychedelic community.

Also read: Matthew Perry's assistant and doctors charged with giving 'Friends' star ketamine and aiding and abetting death by overdose (UPDATED)

Rise of ketamine in medicine and popular culture

In a recent statement, the DEA Administrator Anne Milgram expressed concern about the increasing availability of ketamine, a drug that has not traditionally been at the forefront of the drug war. “Every day we target and investigate doctors, nurses and others who violate that duty of trust to their patients by overprescribing or prescribing unnecessary medications,” Milgram told CBS. The DEA investigation found that Matthew Perry was billed approximately $50,000 for a ketamine shipment within a month, raising alarm bells about possible overprescribing practices.

Ketamine, once used only as an anesthetic and an illegal drug, has been making a comeback in recent years as a promising treatment for depression, anxiety and PTSD. Spravato, a ketamine-based nasal spray from Johnson & Johnson, is on track to become the first billion-dollar psychedelic, reflecting the drug's growing importance in both medicine and popular culture.

Concerns from mental health professionals

But the DEA's focus on ketamine has raised concerns among mental health professionals and psychologists, who fear the agency's actions could hinder access to a potentially life-saving treatment. Sandra PrashadMD, president of the Association of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists and Practitioners, emphasized the importance of the drug in psychiatry. “More regulation and guardrails are certainly needed. However, it is important to understand that ketamine is currently the only anti-suicidal/immediate life-saving treatment in psychiatry that is also supported by well-conducted, rigorous trials from major academic institutions and represents a major advance in an area where other treatments have very low response rates,” Prashad explained in the Ecstatic Integration newsletter.

The DEA's rhetoric has also drawn criticism for its obvious echoes of the opioid crisis, particularly the use of terms such as “pill mills” to describe clinics that offer ketamine treatment. Ben SpielbergCEO of Bespoke Treatment, while acknowledging that better screening is needed at ketamine clinics, cautioned against demonizing a drug that can offer significant benefits. “I personally called 8 different ketamine clinics under a different name and not a single one asked me about my substance abuse history. Don't you think that would be one of the most important questions?” Spielberg said. He stressed that while ketamine should not be used as a long-term treatment, it can play a critical role in patients' recovery.

Elijah McClain's death: A cautionary tale

The debate over ketamine's role in medicine took a darker turn after the death of Elijah McClain in 2019. McClain, who was forcibly administered a large dose of ketamine by paramedics after being arrested by police, died in circumstances that have raised serious questions about the drug's use outside of controlled clinical settings. Although McClain's case is markedly different from Perry's, it underscores the potential dangers of ketamine if used improperly.

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