Urgent call to upgrade ketamine classification amid surge in harm

A Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has called on the Government to “act decisively” in reclassifying ketamine as a Class A drug.

Joy Allen, the County Durham and Darlington PCC, warned of a surge in ketamine abuse and called for the drug to be included under the Drug Testing on Arrest powers as a testable substance to give the police greater resources to tackle the issue.

Ketamine use reached the highest level ever recorded in 2024, with nearly 300,000 users. There has been a 231 per cent increase in use among 16–24-year-olds since 2013.

‘Ketamine kills’

Warning of the risks, PCC Allen stated: “Ketamine kills. It causes irreversible brain and physical damage and is becoming increasingly popular, particularly among young people. The time to act is now. We must not wait until its use mirrors that of cocaine or other Class A drugs. Drug classification must reflect harm, not prevalence.”

The evidence is clear. The harm is indisputable.

As the joint national lead for Addictions and Substance Misuse for the Association of PCCs, she noted: “Over the past two years, I have spoken to professionals across the country who are witnessing first-hand the devastating consequences of ketamine misuse. The surge in referrals to rehabilitation services has become the norm, underlining the rapidly growing prevalence within our communities.”

She called ketamine “a crisis waiting to happen”, adding: “If we are serious about tackling this issue, we must equip police with the tools they need to intervene early and effectively. This includes expanding testing capabilities and strengthening our legal framework.”

“The evidence is clear. The harm is indisputable. The consequences of delay are measured in lives damaged and lost. The Government must act decisively – and act now.”

‘It’s snowballed’

A specialist ketamine clinic for children has been opened at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool due to the increase in teens with urology problems caused by the drug.

Harriet Corbett, consultant paediatric urologist at Alder Hey, explained: “When they get bad bladder pain, for some of the only pain relief they find that is helpful is ketamine. So, they get into a very nasty downward spiral.”

Dr Corbett said ketamine is “on everyone’s radar now because it’s snowballed; it’s gone a bit crazy”. She added that prevention is key: “We need to shout loudly about this because if we can encourage them to stop using, that will potentially save themselves a miserable life of medical interventions.”