A senior coroner has called for ketamine to be upgraded to a class A illegal drug, as it is leading to “life-changing health problems” among young people.
Alison Mutch said the drug’s B classification gives a “false impression” about its dangers. Ketamine causes bladder damage and can create a cycle of dependency as users take it to manage the pain caused by the drug itself.
According to the Office for National Statistics, ketamine use has more than doubled since 2016 and more than tripled among 16 to 24-year-olds.
Disabled
In a report to the Home Secretary, Mutch warned that “there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken”, and the “extent of these risks is rarely understood by users until the damage has been done”.
Nick, 36, told The Guardian that “I am now a disabled person”, after ketamine damaged his bladder. It’s likely it will need to be surgically replaced with a urostomy bag.
Nick recalled that he was unaware of the consequences, until a doctor told him the illegal drug “completely ruins your body”.
‘Major surgery’
In a letter to The Guardian, Samantha Sherratt, Transformation Director at the Urostomy Association, said there is a “crisis unfolding in urology clinics nationwide as more young adults present with bladder issues tied to their recreational use of the drug”.
Sherratt stated: “But a national approach is needed so best practice can be shared to ensure more young lives aren’t devastated just as their adult selves begin to unfold.”
Mr Mohammed Belal of the British Association of Urological Surgeons added that, due to ketamine, “We’ve got people who are probably 20 or 21 needing major surgery”.
Over 600 children in Scotland lost a parent to drugs in one year