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    What to Know About the Effects of Ketamine

    Elon Musk has said that he used ketamine as a treatment in the past, but he denied reports that he was taking it frequently and recreationally.News reports detailing Elon Musk’s drug use have prompted renewed attention to ketamine, a powerful anesthetic that has become increasingly popular as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression and other mental health issues.Although Mr. Musk has acknowledged using ketamine in the past to treat depression, he has denied suggestions that he is currently using ketamine — or any other drug.“I am NOT taking drugs!” he wrote last week in a social media post following the publication of an article in The New York Times that described reports of his use of drugs on the campaign trail last year. Those drugs included ketamine and other psychedelic compounds, among them MDMA and psilocybin mushrooms.Mr. Musk left the White House last week. Since then, he and President Trump have traded barbs on social media over the president’s domestic policy bill and have mentioned government contracts with Mr. Musk’s companies and Mr. Musk’s relationship to the White House.Mr. Trump, who was briefed on the article in The Times, has been telling associates in the last day or so that Musk’s “crazy” behavior is linked to his drug use, according to a Times report citing two people with knowledge of Mr. Trump’s private conversations. But later on Friday, Mr. Trump told reporters he did not want to comment on Mr. Musk’s drug use.The very public feud between the two men has once again drawn unflattering attention to ketamine, a drug that has become increasingly available at legal clinics across the country. It is also used recreationally and can be dangerous when misused.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Arrest Made in Investigation Into Matthew Perry’s Death

    Law enforcement agencies have been working to identify the source of the ketamine that led to the “Friends” star’s death.The authorities in Los Angeles have made an arrest as part of their investigation into the death of Matthew Perry, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.The person, who was granted anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said that more details, including the name of the person arrested, would be released at a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday morning.The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office said in an autopsy report released in December that Mr. Perry had died of “acute effects of ketamine.” The actor, who gained sitcom superstardom as Chandler Bing on the show “Friends,” was discovered “floating face down” in the heated end of a pool at his home in Los Angeles.Ketamine, a powerful anesthetic with psychedelic properties, is increasingly being used as an alternative therapy for depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. It is also used, and abused, recreationally.The police in Los Angeles acknowledged this year that they were working with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate the source of Mr. Perry’s ketamine and whether it was obtained legally. A spokesman for the United States Postal Inspection Service said it was assisting with the investigation.The autopsy report said that Mr. Perry had been on ketamine infusion therapy, but it determined that the ketamine in his system could not have been from his last known therapy session, about a week and a half before he died. The autopsy said the level of ketamine found in Mr. Perry’s blood was equivalent to the amount that would be used during general anesthesia.Mr. Perry had a history of drug and alcohol addiction, which he wrote about in a memoir.The medical examiner’s office said that drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine, which is used to treat drug addiction and for pain, had contributed to his death. More