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Concerns over trends in Ketamine use

An investigation by DrugScope's Druglink magazine has revealed concerning trends in the use of the Class C drug ketamine, with users taking higher doses of the drug and more people injecting the substance. Some drug services are also reporting an increase in the number of young people using ketamine.

Ketamine is a complex drug with an unusual combination of stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. The drug is used recreationally due to its ability to alter users' perceptions, leaving them feeling detached from themselves and others around them. Ketamine, which can be snorted or swallowed in liquid form, is dose specific', meaning its harms are strongly linked to the amount used.

Despite Ketamine's reputation as a horse tranquiliser, low doses can be administered safely as a medical anaesthetic. However, the high doses typical of illegal Ketamine use risk serious injury, unconsciousness and potential respiratory collapse or heart failure. Ketamine can be particularly dangerous when used alongside depressant drugs, including alcohol. An independent Lancet study in 2007 ranked ketamine as more harmful than both cannabis and ecstasy.

The government's decision to make Ketamine a class C drug in 2006 does not appear to have impacted on the drug's availability, popularity or price on the illegal market. According to last year's annual DrugScope Street Drug Trends Survey, which first revealed the extent of ketamine's emerging recreational use in 2005, the average price of a gram in the UK has fallen from £30 to £20 in the last three years. Nine of the 20 cities surveyed in 2008 reported an increase in ketamine use in the past 12 months. Official figures suggest overall levels of ketamine use remain low compared to cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine.

Side effects of Ketamine use can include damage to the urinary tract, bladder and kidneys. Users can become psychologically dependent on the drug and tolerance can increase with use. Ketamine has also been implicated in some deaths, although these are mainly thought to have been due to accidents that have occurred while users have been disorientated by the drug's effects.

DrugScope Chief Executive Martin Barnes, said:
"These trends are concerning. Ketamine has been increasingly common on the club scene but there is worrying evidence that people are experimenting with larger amounts or are even injecting the drug. Ketamine's harms increase considerably at high doses and injecting users risk exposure to blood-borne viruses such as Hepatitis C or HIV.
"Evidence of young people using Ketamine is a particular concern, especially as many users may underestimate the risks involved. It is essential that we provide young people with clear and accurate information on the dangers of Ketamine so that they can fully appreciate the drug's considerable harms."

Published by Addiction Advisor on 03/01/2009.

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