Child ketamine addicts: rising numbers and growing alarm

Concerns over a ketamine epidemic have grown as more young addicts and professionals speak out about its devastating effects.

Illegal ketamine use has more than doubled since 2016, and more than tripled among 16 to 24-year-olds, prompting a children’s hospital in Liverpool to launch a recovery programme specifically for minors.

Ketamine can cause irreversible bladder and kidney damage and has addictive properties which have led many to call for it to be upgraded to a Class A drug. This has prompted the Home Office to launch a review to consider reclassifying it.

Young addicts

Abbie started using ketamine at 16. She tried to stop, but explained: “the withdrawals were so bad I would be shaking and vomiting”.

She said she eventually faced three options to escape: “rehab, section – or in a coffin”. Abbie has been sharing her recovery journey on TikTok where she warns other young people about the dangers of the drug.

Ethan began taking ketamine at 15 years old. He described the crippling effect it had on his health: “You can’t pass urine and then that leads into blood in your urine, and in the later stages, my kidneys and my liver function stopped working properly”.

Ten years on, he is in recovery and helps other young people break free from addiction. Looking back on the physical and social impact of the drug, he said: “it just strips you really, in some sense, like strips you down to your bone.”

‘A perfect storm’

Risk and Resilience founder David Gill, who trains frontline workers on drug trends, explained that there are “more young people struggling with depression, trauma, anxiety, a lack of services – and we have a very cheap street drug that helps them disconnect.” He noted: “What we are seeing is a perfect storm”.

Cheryl Williams, from recovery charity Adferiad, noted that they are increasingly receiving referrals for under-18s. She said: “we are on the verge of an emerging ketamine epidemic”.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson stated: “This Government is driving down the use of drugs like ketamine, ensuring more people receive timely treatment and support, and making our streets and communities safer.”

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