I Don’t Do it Gently

It’s not how I roll.

(Don’t worry. That’s not me)

I help aspiring franchise owners avoid making poor decisions on a franchise to own. Thing is, I don’t always do it in the most gentle way.

Which leads me to this.

Who told this guy that his idea for a mobile Ketamine franchise business opportunity was a good one?

I want to know.

Was it a franchise lawyer?

A franchise development firm?

Who?

And how much money did they make setting up this franchise concept?

How Fast Will The Wheels Fall Off Of This Franchise Concept?

Believe it or not, a press release just came out announcing…

“Ketamine Mobile, the leader in at-home ketamine therapy, is proud to announce the launch of its franchise program across the United States. This expansion allows franchisees to join the rapidly growing mental health care field while addressing the surging demand for innovative ketamine therapy.”

Surging demand?

Would you like to know why interest in ketamine therapy is “surging?”

From Johns Hopkins:

“Thanks to an interesting loophole in the laws governing drug advertising, ketamine is now marketed for the management of any number of different psychiatric illnesses. Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain are the big ones, but it’s also being marketed for other uses, ranging from Lyme disease to alcoholism to opioid addiction. As is often the case, enthusiasm and marketing have gotten ahead of the evidence.” Read the rest. It’s important.

Perfect. There’s more. This time, from Columbia University Medical Center:

“Ketamine infusion therapy or IV ketamine is not approved by the FDA. It’s really only been within the last couple decades that there’s been increased attention by the public and also by, psychiatry researchers and clinicians in using this in a clinical setting,” Dr. Jeffrey Zabinski, MD, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center told a writer at Healthline.

Oh…wait. There’s something else.

Do you know who has said he uses Ketamine? Like a lot?

Elon Musk.

That seems to be working out well for him.

From MedPage:

“Elon Musk told Don Lemon in an exclusive interview on X that he has a prescription for ketamine that he uses when he experiences a ‘negative chemical state in my brain.’

In addition, Musk said he uses ‘a small amount once every other week, or something like that,’ and insisted it’s ‘a real prescription from a real doctor.’

‘There are times when I have … a negative chemical state in my brain, like depression, I guess,’ Musk told Lemon. ‘Depression that’s not linked to any negative views. And then ketamine is helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind.’”

Note: as much as I despise Musk, I wish him no harm. Whatever his demons are, I hope he gets the help he needs to deal with them. Everyone deserves that.

Finally-and unfortunately, when the richest guy in the world hypes Ketamine, a certain group of people will think it’s okay to use for their problems too. Straight-up self-medicating. Which may not end well.

“Special K” (the street name for Ketamine) Is A Street Drug

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Ketamine can be dangerous.

“Ketamine produces hallucinations. It distorts perceptions of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control. Ketamine may cause unwanted side effects such as: agitation, depression, cognitive difficulties, unconsciousness, and amnesia. Involuntarily rapid eye movement, dilated pupils, salivation, tear secretions, and stiffening of the muscles, possible nausea Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) has been reported several weeks after ketamine use and may include experiencing prolonged visual disturbances. And an overdose can cause unconsciousness and dangerously slowed breathing.”

Now you know why I’m so angry about this new franchise “opportunity.”

Again. A Mobile Ketamine Franchise?

This franchise business is a disaster waiting to happen. Scratch that.

It’s a disaster that will happen.

That said, sometimes Capitalism sucks.

To try and make money off putting Ketamine IV’s etc. into people’s arms…which as you saw above, is not an FDA approved medical therapy, is just plain wrong. And it’s dangerous.

And I don’t care what the franchise online brochure says.

I don’t care if everything the company does is “physician supervised,” or some other B.S.

Because in my opinion, nobody should purchase this franchise.

As a matter of fact, whoever collected money for writing the legal franchise documents, training manuals, the operating manual, the marketing program, and everything else that’s needed to franchise a business these days-needs to refund that money.

Because this franchise concept should have never been launched.

And that’s why I’m not providing a link to their website.

(I’m The Franchise King®, Joel Libava, a 23 year veteran of franchising. I wrote two books on how to buy and how to research franchises. If you’re thinking of buying a franchise, we should talk.)