Ketamine and many other psychoactive substances can't be detected by most standard drug screens, so it's unclear how often they play a role in sexual assault.

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA) Former Cornell student Jane Doe, who filed a civil lawsuit in September 2026 alleging that seven fraternity members raped her at a party, said the young men who assaulted her pressured her into taking the drug ketamine.

As an emergency room physician, medical toxicologist and the head of student health services at the University of Virginia, I have had a front-row seat to the growing danger that psychoactive substances such as ketamine present to the health and safety of university students.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.