Liverpool faces severe ketamine crisis with record seizures. Addiction soars, prompting calls for tougher drug classification.
Ketamine makes users feel powerful and can cause lasting bladder problems, sometimes requiring patients to wear adult diapers. This substance is popular among young people, with ketamine use doubling in just five years.
Seizures totaled 2,046 last year, a big jump from 1,337 in 2023. Liverpool is the UK’s ketamine hotspot, with busts there five times the national average, followed by North Wales, Lancashire, and Cumbria.
Addiction expert Lee Fernandes warned that ketamine will be the UK’s next drug crisis. He said it’s common in schools and on streets, mixed into drugs like “pink cocaine,” and is cheap and easy to get.
Lee added that people do not see it as dangerous, making it appealing to young people. His rehab center treats many people, with more now seeking help for ketamine than cocaine, and he expects the problem to worsen.
All eight rehab centers treat young people addicted to ketamine, with more women than men affected. The NHS uses ketamine as a sedative and pain reliever, while vets use it on animals, even horses.
Users report feeling detached and invincible, but ketamine can cause nausea and hallucinations. Chronic use damages the bladder, sometimes requiring surgeons to remove it.
Campaigners want a drug reclassification, moving ketamine from B to A, like heroin and cocaine. Higher classification may make people take it more seriously, and dealers could face tougher penalties too.
Supplying could mean life in prison, and possession could mean seven years, a fine, or both. Parents of Jamie Boland support the change, as he died from ketamine-related sepsis.
Jamie Boland died last June at 38, after battling ketamine addiction for years. He switched from cocaine to ketamine, thinking it was less dangerous, and his parents shared their story.
They witnessed how ketamine damaged Jamie, turning him into a recluse who was often in pain and needed the toilet constantly. They want youngsters to know ketamine can kill.
A report cited Wirral’s ketamine problem, finding increasing use among young people ages 15 to 30. Preventing irreversible damage, including bladder and kidney damage, is a priority.
In England and Wales, 1.2 million people have tried ketamine. Its use is higher than ecstasy or LSD among those aged 16 to 24 and is nearing cocaine’s popularity.