Ketamine use in Britain has risen by 400% in the last decade, shocking figures show.
In 2013, just 0.8 percent of young people had taken a Class B drug in the last year – but this number has soared to 3.8 by 2023.
Addiction levels have also increased dramatically, with many now living with incontinence and paralysis.
It is particularly prevalent among young people because it is “cheap money.”
Depending on location, a gram can cost around £10, compared with £40 for MDMA and £100 for cocaine, according to Parliament figures.
A single pour is available for just £3 – less than half a pint of beer.
Ketamine use reached record levels among 16 to 24-year-olds in England last year, with almost one in 25 trying it at least once, data from the Office for National Statistics reveals.
This represents a fifth more than in 2020 and almost four times higher than the levels recorded 10 years ago.
For all age groups, the number is 0.9 percent.
One in 20 young people are now considered regular users, and Home Office statistics show there has been an 884 per cent increase in ketamine seizures in just 12 months.
People in Yorkshire and the Humber are the most common users, with 1.7 per cent of all residents aged 16 to 59 admitting to having tried it in 2023.
This was closely followed by the South West (1.4 per cent) and London (1.3 per cent).
Those living in the North East (0 per cent) and West Midlands (0.1 per cent) were the least likely to have tried.
The most common users of the powerful sedative were those between the ages of 16 and 24 – now called Generation Ketamine, or Generation K.
Drug and alcohol treatment services have reported a 53 percent increase in the number of young adults admitting to ketamine use since August 2022.
At least 41 reported ketamine deaths among students have been recorded since 1991, with seven in 2021 alone.
Clare Rogers’ son Rian was found dead in the bathroom of their shared home four days after a dose of the drug.
His body was so decomposed that the police wouldn’t let her see it.
Clare, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, said: “Rian was cheerful and intelligent, with so many friends.
“He had everything to live for, but ketamine took it all away.”
What is ketamine?
By Hayley Minn Feature Writer
KETAMINE is a powerful anesthetic, generally used as a tranquilizer for horses.
It was created in 1962 in the USA and was used on American casualties in the Vietnam War from 1970 onwards.
Around 20 years ago, it also became an illicit recreational drug in the UK, where it is classified as Class B, meaning possession can carry up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
Karenza Moore, a sociologist at Newcastle University who studies drug culture, says 16- to 24-year-olds can easily buy ketamine on social media platforms like Telegram and Instagram.
Like cocaine, it is sold as a white, granular powder, but while cocaine usually costs £100 per gram, ketamine costs just £20 to £30 a gram – sometimes even less.
This can make users feel relaxed and detached, but also confused and nauseous.
Trips can last a few hours and can alter the user’s perception of time and space and make them hallucinate.
Because it is a pain reliever, it also puts users at risk of injuring themselves without realizing it.
A very common side effect of overdose is “K-hole” – when users lose the ability to move and feel as if their mind and body have separated and they can’t do anything about it, which can be very alarming. .
Regular use can cause many serious side effects, including agitation, panic attacks, short- and long-term memory loss, depression, and blood in the urine.
Rian began experimenting with the drug with friends at festivals, but quickly became addicted after the death of his best friend, who died in a road accident while high.
He developed an ulcerated bladder, which “shrank to the size of a marble”, and was admitted to rehab “like an 80-year-old man”.
“He was all emaciated and hunched over, like a crab, in a lot of pain,” his mother said.
Despite resisting the drug for several weeks, Rian felt its attraction and began using again.
He was found dead on April 25, 2023, alongside five grams of ketamine.
Vicky Unwin also knows the pain of losing a child to ‘Special K’.
His daughter Louise Cattell died aged 21 after falling asleep in the bathtub in 2011.
Vicky said: “She was a very bright and active girl. Old and wise beyond her years.
“It was a really stupid mistake. She was 5-foot-7 and took as much as her 5-foot-9 friends.”
Other recent ketamine victims include Cardiff University law student Megan Pollitt, 18, who died in November 2020 after being found motionless by a flatmate, and former deputy headteacher Jeni Larmour, 18, who passed away just hours after arriving at Newcastle University.
Pastor Mick Fleming, who founded Church on the Street and runs a recovery program, said: “It’s cheaper to use ket than to get drunk.
“It gives you the feeling of being in your body and out of the environment, and that is very attractive to some young people.”
Speaking with The mirrorhe added: “I call ketamine the allowance drug because it is for young people [taking it] and you can buy it for £10 a gram.
“It’s £3 each, give or take. It’s cheap.”
Professor Adam Winstock, consultant psychiatrist, anti-addiction medicine expert and founder of the Global Drug Survey research group, said the majority of deaths occur as a result of accidents while under the influence of drugs.
“Driving, going into bodies of water like baths, pools or lakes, or doing anything else that your body is not prepared for,” he said.
“The UK has been one of the main users of ket over the last five to 10 years.”
Of the users who survived, many were left with temporary and lifelong paralysis.
May be cheaper than cannabis and, in some cases, alcohol
Scott Ardley
Beth, an addict in her 20s, told BBC last month: “I can’t walk 50 meters without having to sit down or run to the bathroom.”
The drug caused a growth in his bladder, which had to be burned.
Danielle, another heavy user, suffered 50% damage to one of her kidneys and her friends now use colostomy bags.
Others have reported filling bottles with bloody urine overnight, inserting catheters, and removing the bladder entirely.
Matt, a young drug user from Plymouth, told the BBC documentary series Drugs Map of Britain that he had “bouts of anxiety and depression which developed into psychosis”.
And Alan, who says he has been taking ket “24/7” since 1999, said: “I’m passing things in my urine, I’m getting cramps.
“Medical experts have told me bluntly, ‘Ketamine rots your insides.’
He even carries a ‘portable potty’ with him, admitting he goes to the bathroom every 10 minutes.
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But ‘K’ has an even darker side. This week, 21-year-old Finn Henry was arrested for killing his mother while high on ketamine.
The boxer attacked Suzanne, 54, at her family home and she died several days later from a traumatic brain injury.
He is said to have thought his mother was a “devil or devil” and launched a six-minute frenzied attack.
Finn’s father, Charles, 57, told the court during his son’s trial that it was easier to identify young people in his village who did not use the drug than the other way around.
Ketamine is now considered one of the cheapest medications on the market.
It is widely available online, with retailers specifically targeting young people.
Rehabs in the UK Senior treatment consultant Scott Ardley said: “The medicine is cheap, about £10 a gram, £25 for 3.5 grams.
“We heard that someone accessed an ounce (28 grams) for £90, which equates to £3.21 a gram.
“It can be cheaper than cannabis and, in some cases, alcohol.
“Cocaine costs around £80 to £100 per gram, so ketamine is much more affordable as it can also be produced in the UK.
“Social media has an impact, which is extremely popular among the younger generation, specifically Snapchat, where drug dealers are able to communicate and sell due to disappearing messages and ease of access, which also makes tracking more difficult. of the police.”
Record quantities of ketamine were seized by police and border forces in the year to March 2022, increasing by 884 percent from 208 kg to 1,837 kg.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
