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Christopher P. Holstege, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Virginia

Ketamine’s role in alleged Cornell rape highlights flood of psychoactive drugs on campus

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. D-Keine/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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.

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