Timeline for Ketamine By conbush2001 Aug 10, 1970 FDA approved the use of Ketamine on Children and the Elderly Nov 21, 1987 12 deaths related to Ketamine (7 in the U.S. and 5 in the U.K. Jan 10, 1999 Ketamine became federly illegal in U.S. Sep 19, 2000 It can be used leagaly for health professionals, university research purposes, and prescription. Apr 16, 2010 More than 30,000 people in the U.K. use Ketamine.