Glossary – K

Click on a letter to view Glossary definitions beginning with that letter.

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]

Ketamine
This drug started out as an anesthetic, but became a widely used recreational drug due to its hallucinogenic effects. Known as Special-K or Vitamin-K, it is typically snorted, but is sometimes sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked.

Khat
the leaves and buds of an East African plant, Catha edulis, which are chewed or brewed as a beverage. Used also in parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, khat is a stimulant with effects similar to those of amphetamine. Heavy use can result in dependence and physical and mental problems resembling those produced by other stimulants.

Kindling effect
a phenomenon in the brain that produces a heightened sensitivity to repeated administrations of some drugs, such as cocaine. This heightened sensitivity is the opposite of the phenomenon of tolerance.

Korsakov syndrome (Korsakov psychosis)
see amnesic syndrome.