Audra Streetman, writing for CBS Denver:
In a unanimous vote Monday night, Aurora City Council approved a resolution to temporarily ban first responders from administering ketamine to subdue patients during an arrest. Ketamine was the drug that paramedics used to sedate Elijah McClain on the night of Aug. 24, 2019.
Police confronted McClain as he was walking home from a convenience store. A struggle ensued and McClain was placed in a carotid hold before paramedics administered 500 mg of ketamine. McClain went into cardiac arrest twice on the way to the hospital and died days later.
The City of Aurora has launched a review of McClain’s arrest and subsequent death. Included in that review will be the administration of ketamine. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will also task a committee to review the drug’s use for purposes of sedation and treatment of excited delirium.
Councilman Curtis Gardner introduced the proposal to stop ketamine sedation by paramedics and said he weighed the potential risks to first responders.
I’m glad to see this temporary ban on ketamine sedation by first responders. This is an area that needs serious reform, as it impacts the general public and disproportionately affects BIPOC in this country. There is absolutely no reason that people should be dying from ketamine overdoses caused by paramedics or police. Absolutely none at all.